Annabeth Chase and the Lightning Thief
by Aviendha Aviendha Aviendha
Summary: TRANSLATION Book 1 of the series "Percy Jackson", from Annabeth's point of view.
1. Chapter 1

**Note: This is a translation of** **Carlotaaa2 's story "Annabeth Chase et le voleur de foudre" which was written in French and can be found at www . fanfiction s /9275890 /1 /Annabeth-Chase-et-le-voleur-de-foudre if you remove the spaces. If I missed any parts and they are still in french, please let me know. -Aviendhaphiragon**

 **1\. A boy arrives in the dead of night with a Minotaur horn**

I was in my cabin, but I couldn't sleep. The thunder rumbled much too loudly, and I moped after the latest letdown - a young girl had barely arrived at Camp Half Blood. She had been chased by a hell hound and she had had no weapons. It had been a close call when she passed the magical boundary. I had told myself (as usual, according to my half-brothers) : "It's her! The demigod I'm waiting for." and so I had pampered her for a whole week. I explained to her that her godly parent – in her case, her father – was a Greek God, and she just needed to wait for a sign from him. The normal talk. But she had been claimed by Hephaestus a week after her arrival... What a letdown! She HAD to be the one of the prophecy! I had cherished her for a week, two days, and three hours (about, huh). But no, she's just another blacksmith.

I wasn't going to confuse any more a normal demigod and THE demigod of my prophecy... I promise, I'm not going to be under anymore obstructive illusions! I had ju-

And then, I heard something - shouts. A boy's voice. A newcomer! It had to be Him!

 _No Annabeth! You just promised to abandon these silly hopes!_ said a small voice in my head.

 _Be quiet!_ responded another voice that was oh, so much more attractive.

So, I rushed outside, towards the shouts. Yes, it was indeed a boy, who carried a satyr and called for his mother (what a big baby). A satyr... and not just any satyr! My good friend, Grover. Was he injured?

I arrived at the Big House, and Chiron was already inside. The boy made it to the veranda, then fainted. Chiron had the air of knowing who it was, and he seemed worried. So the boy had to be linked to the solstice! He had to be!

"It's him. It has to be him," I said, almost begging.

"Silence, Annabeth," Chiron reprimanded me. "He is still conscious. Bring him inside."

The boy slowly groaned, and I told myself that Chiron surely had a reason - he had heard me... Oops... But it wasn't my fault if that fool had fainted! How could I have known?

I looked at the boy. He was the same age as me, and he had black hair. However, he was not very muscled.

I sighed and did my best to bring him to the infirmary. I put him down on a bed and went to look for ambrosia and nectar. As I always insisted on being with wounded that arrived at Camp (He often seemed like the hero I was waiting for, but they always let me down), they had finally given me permission to enter the restricted area and had instructed me to give first aid to the newcomers. I prepared a glass of nectar and put it on the boy's bedside table. I took care of Grover, then I went out. Chiron was waiting for me.

"Annabeth, I know you think he's the hero of the prophecy, but don't give yourself any illusions now. You-"

"Don't lie to me, Chiron! This one, it could be it! You sent Grover out to look for him! And you know him! It was to watch him that you disappeared so often, no? He's connected with- (I stopped myself just in time - Chiron couldn't know that I suspected something about the Winter Solstice theft). He's powerful, no? He arrived alive, so..."

"Annabeth!"

Ouch. Maybe I had gotten a little too carried away.

"Sorry Chiron, it's just that... I... you... my quest..."

"I know, my girl. You want it to be him. I won't lie to you, he is powerful. And yes, I watched him with Grover, and I stayed close to him myself the whole year, I admit.

The centaur wanted me to go to bed, but that was out of the question! I wanted to be there when this cursed boy woke up! He had to admit to me what he knew about the Summer Solstice, for he surely knows something! After much begging, Chiron relented, ordering me (since I wanted to collaborate) to give ambrosia to the boy – who was named Percy Jackson, according Chiron – until he woke up.

I then found my seat again at the boy's bedside for the whole night. Definitely, sleepless nights were chasing me - before because of lectures, hopes, and letdowns, right now because of the mysterious theft of the winter solstice and the new role in the infirmary.

I gave him ambrosia, but, evidently, as he was unconscious, he put it everywhere. I felt like a six year old girl with dolls but I thought that, maybe, by supplying him with godly food, he would wake up.

I must have fallen asleep, because I wasn't there when the sun rose. I stayed three more hours at the bedside of the boy, with my architecture book that I had gone to look for (nobody realized my absence; I had put on my Yankees cap of invisibility).

Percy.

That name is really strange, it must be short for something ... but for what? Patrick? No, that would be Pat. Rupert? Strange for a twelve year old... Pedro? Nah...

Pondering, I stuck ambrosia in the mouth of the boy with the weird name. He jerked me out of my reverie with a groan... He fluttered his eyelids and ... Yes! He opened them! I'll finally know the truth of what Chiron was hiding from me!

I had to admit, the eyes of the boy were very beautiful. They were a deep green, very hypnotizing.

I asked him, maybe with a bit too much fervor and hope, "What happened on the summer solstice?"

Hmm... Maybe he was still groggy. He croaked at me something like "Wud?" which I took to be a "What?"

He had spoken a bit loudly; I hoped nobody had heard us.

"What happened? What was stolen? We only have a few weeks!"

"I'm sorry," was the response of the boy, who had such beautiful eyes. "I don't..."

Dang! Someone knocked! I shoved a spoon of ambrosia down Percy's throat, and he went back to sleep. Damn boy! I was awake all night and all morning, and he knows nothing about anything!

Grover entered then into the infirmary. Apparently, he was not injured.

"Grover! Gods be praised, you're alright! What happened? Why were you-"

"Annabeth!" he interrupted me. "We'll talk later. Chiron asks that you come with me; I'm to tell what happened yesterday."

So, Grover took me to the rec room, where we found Chiron and Mr. D. After greeting them, Grover started his recitation, without interruptions.

He told us how Percy had been attacked by a Fury at school, then he had been monitored by the satyr and centaur, and how Mr. Brunner (aka Chiron) had deceived all the mortals. Then he arrived at the delicate part - Percy had abandoned him at a bus stop, where Grover had accompanied him, and how he had found him at the beach with his mother. What a fool, that boy! To leave after being specifically warned by the Fates. Then Grover arrived at the story of the Minotaur, showing us the horn, which he had gone back to the hill to recover. That boy had killed the Minotaur! And with his bare hands! What luck! He was really powerful... This could really be the boy of my quest.

When Grover had finished, Chiron and Mr. D had asked me to go out - if I had the right to listen to the story, it was so that I didn't hassle Grover with questions, but, as I told them, I didn't need to know more. He told me to go take a nap, saying Grover wanted to watch Percy for a bit.

I found myself back in my cabin, on my bunk, but I couldn't sleep. This boy upset me, but why? He wasn't very muscular, not very big, and merely spat out the nectar that I gave him. Still, he was powerful, even to powerful - the Minotaur had chased him. His aura was therefore quite strong.

To amuse myself, I tried to find the full name of the boy. Peter? That didn't fit. Perrin or Pierce? Too strange, even for him. After thinking it over for some time, I arrived at the conclusion that he was named Percival (the knight of the round table) or Perseus (the son of Zeus).

I was awake with Percival one more time, during the afternoon. Every time I gave him nectar, he spat it up... This Perseus was becoming annoying! Annoyed, I went to bed, leaving Grover at the bedside of the boy-with-the-unknown-first-name.

The next morning, after breakfast, I went to see Mr. D and Chiron, hoping to be able to overhear a part of the conversation. It was then that the boy (Percival or Perseus? I was more in favor of Perseus, being the name of a demigod after all) arrived, accompanied by Grover.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: If you didn't catch it before, this is a translation. Go back to the first chapter if you want more info than that. I'm not announcing it again after this. If the dialogue is slightly wrong, or if parts are still in French, or there's any problem - even grammatically - then tell me in a review. If there's too many to put in a review ... well, put them in a review anyway. That goes for all the chapters after this, too. Also, whether they announce errors on my part or not, reviews are always welcome. No, I lie, they're actually downright encouraged. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **2\. I take a shower in toilet water**

Grover started by introducing us to Percy. I saw him trying to stand there so no one could hear him, but I distinctly heard the part that concerned me - "The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's a camper, but she has been here longer than anyone. "

You surprise me, as oldest camper! If you run away when you're 7, it is normal to find yourself being the 12-year-old girl who already been at Camp for more years then the 17-year-olds.

I didn't see Grover introduce Chiron to Percy, but apparently he knows him already.

"Mr. Brunner!" the boy cried.

Mr. Brunner?

An alias, probably a teacher's.

Knowing Chiron, he had chosen Latin or Greek as his subject. So Percy was truly important for him. I felt a bit jealous of the attention he showed that boy, but I got over it quickly - Chiron was like a father to me when he was at Camp.

Mr. D gave the welcome talk to Percy, then Chiron called me.

I approached, a bit reticent. This boy intrigued me. He was very powerful, but he looked so frail he had probably never been attacked by monsters often and was never trained, so he couldn't have that large of an aura.

I didn't understand this contradiction – powerful, yet the son of a minor god? It was really strange. I didn't understand, I hated that, and this boy annoyed me by muddling my head!

Lost in thought, it dawned on me that Chiron was talking to me again. The centaur politely asked me to take care of Percy's bed, and apparently I couldn't refuse.

The boy seemed to be watching me. I was able to get a good look at him as well. We were like two animals sizing each other up. He had black hair, long enough and rather messy. He was also a bit shorter than me, and much less rugged. I could easily imagine a duel.

And his eyes...they were the same as the other day; deep green and very mysterious. Lost in his eyes, I met his gaze and avoided any tense moments. I quickly dropped my gaze, and it fell on the Minotaur horn. He had really killed it. I couldn't believe it.

I raised my head, to congratulate him. But compliments never came to me easily, and this boy annoyed me to the utmost, for no apparent reason (which was only making me more mad at him). I opened my mouth, and I said:

"You drool in your sleep."

WHAT?

I told him he drooled in his sleep? It wasn't even like that; he just spat out the nectar... But what had he made come over me? I... I had...

So he would not see the red rising to my face, I returned and fled to the volleyball court.

All the demigods enjoying the weather seemed to have decided to gather together at this one location, and they all immediately harassed me with questions on the newbie who "had killed the Minotaur." I ignored their questions or responded evasively, and stayed a bit longer on the field.

Suddenly, the campers started whispering and murmuring with excitement and I realized that Chiron had visited the camp with Percy and both of them were heading directly towards me. I left to take refuge in my cabin, where only Lexie was sitting at a drawing table. I grabbed my Greek architecture book, and after half an hour of reading on my bed before heading for cabin 11 to wait for the newbie.

Percy and Chiron were coming. I watched them approach, then I examined the boy again. Apparently, he was trying to decipher the title of my book. A demigod that doesn't understand Greek ... what a moron.

This boy always annoyed me, but I didn't really understand why. Okay, he was a bit stupid and slow on the uptake, but nothing big other than that... I didn't really understand, and that, that was really strange. Then, Chiron addressed me:

"Annabeth, I have a master-class in archery at noon. May I entrust Percy to you?"

No, no and no. I didn't want him stuck with me the whole day! But coming from Chiron, a request is almost an order, so I politely accepted. Furthermore (even if this boy made me ill at east) I might be able to determine if he was THE demigod.

Percy examined the cabin, and I didn't follow the conversation very much. The campers bowed to Chiron, who then left at a gallop. I waited, but the boy stayed planted in the doorway.

"Hey?" I pressed him, "Come on."

The boy stumbled while entering, but obeyed.

"Percy Jackson, this is cabin 11," I announced solemnly.

"Regular or undetermined?" asked Alex (son of Hermes).

"Undetermined."

The question had been for Percy, but since he evidently didn't understand it, I had responded in his stead. Everyone groaned; they understood everything that meant - another boy forgotten by his godly parent, who hoped to receive a sign from their godly parent every day.

And then, my heart leaped - Luke advanced with his calm steps and peaceful aura that invaded everyone. He was so beautiful! Even his scar seemed clearer today. I stayed motionless while he talked then I realized that maybe I had to introduce him...

"That's Luke." (I loved pronouncing that name, so soft... oh no, red alert - my cheeks grew hot. No no no, not in front of Percy – that fool was watching me. I gave him a severe face.) "He's your counselor for the time being," I finished rapidly.

"For the time being?" Percy asked stupidly. This boy had nothing in his head...

I would have sent a scathing reply, but Luke, with his usual enormous patience, moved in front of me and explained the role of cabin 11 with his slow spirit. Then Percy asked "how long" he would be undetermined. What a moron! Obviously, all the occupants of Cabin 11 erupted into laughter, and I said that it was better, perhaps, to explain to him how the whole situation worked later.

So I told him, "Come on. I'll show you the volleyball courts."

"I already saw them," the idiot replied.

He was really stupid...

"Come," I repeated, leading him forcefully in Hermes' mockery.

I dragged him a little farther, then I faced him.

"Jackson." (Percy was too little, I needed to find him a good name...), you need to do a bit better than that."

"What?"

By the gods! He was also really slow to get what was in the air! And me, who had believed that he was the One in my prophecy.

"What is your problem?" I asked him abruptly (oops, I maybe spoke a bit too sharply).

"All I know, is that I killed a type of bull-man..."

Fool! Double mutton-head! That had been the Minotaur, not just any old monster! For seven years I had been training myself to defeat these monsters, and he was entitled to the Minotaur before he even set foot in Camp!

"Don't talk like that! Do you know how many kids in this camp would have loved to have had that chance?" Starting with me...

"To get killed?" And again mutton-head! To show your capabilities to the entire Camp, silly bugger!

We then went through the chapter about "monsters", and I had to explain that they don't die, they disintegrate, just like the Furies did. (he insisted on saying their names, even though I told him incessantly not to...) The boy then began to complain - why, why, why... Then he showed me the first cabins and asked me why not sleep in them. Sleep in Zeus's cabin? That's scary. Hera's? Still more dangerous. I felt the blood leave my face. Voila, the difficult explanation had arrived with him, like with all the newbies.

"You don't choose a cabin like that, Percy." (mental note: find a last name for Percy.) "That depends on your parents. Or ... your parent," I said slowly.

"My mother is Sally Jackson. She works at the candy store by Grand Central. Well, worked."

And double dang - 1) Great! His mother is dead, insensible girl! 2) He hadn't got it.

"I'm sorry about your mom, Percy. But that is not what I meant. I'm talking about your other parent. Your father." (Understand! Come on, let's go, get it!)

"He is dead. I never knew him."

He was really slow on the uptake, that one.I sighed, and I gave the same speech as usual, explaining to him that he wasn't normal, and that he was had dyslexia and ADHD because he was a at the crucial moment of the conversation, I was interrupted by a voice recognizable from miles around - Clarisse. She called Percy, surely to humiliate him.

"Clarisse," I said with a sigh. "Want to go polish your lance?"

"Of course, Princess," (Arrgh!) "to pierce you with Friday evening."

There, she dreamed - Athena would win this game of Capture the Flag. Clarisse and her band of mini-soldiers didn't stand a chance. Athena had the ball in its camp. The brute hesitated in threatening me, then turned towards Brainless.

"Who's this little runt?"

"Percy Jackson, meet Clarisse, daughter of Ares." The meeting would have been better done some other day, no?

"Like... the god of war?"

Clarisse sneered. Poor boy, he was going to get squished, and I would have to explain as quickly as possible the history of her godly parent.

"Is that a problem to you?"

"No, it explains the bad smell."

Well played, Brainless! He finally said something clever! But the balance quickly tipped back into Clariss's favor, unfortunately.

"We have an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."

"Percy."

The poor thing, he was going to take a bath in smelly water just like all the newbies.

"Clarisse," I tried.

"Don't interfere, O Well of Wisdom."

That nickname bothered me to the utmost, but against the better part of the Ares Cabin… I couldn't do much. I grabbed the Minotaur horn that Percy handed to me, and I was happy to follow the group. Clarisse walked at the head, holding brainless by the neck. We arrived at the bathrooms.

They smelled extremely bad, and I could not help thinking, like always, that the gods could at least give us get cleaner bathrooms (AN: I'm sorry, I couldn't help but give Percy's thought to Annabeth). We entered the girls bathrooms, and I held myself in a corner to wait for the end of the carnage and take care of Percy later. I hid my face in my hands but curiosity itched at me, so I peeked through my fingers.

Clarisse, with her supernatural might, forced Percy to kneel facing the toilet bowl. Percy seemed to fight with all his might. I had already seen her head in the water when a strange event occurred.

There was a rumbling in the plumbing, and then an explosion of jets of water. The water flowed out of the bowl and attacked the Ares campers. Then all the toilets exploded, followed by the showers. All the toilet water had attacked Clarisse & Co, getting me wet in passing. The jets of water veered towards the kids one after another, and I was afraid for a moment that they would get me, too. But after what seemed to be a deluge of dirty water, the Ares campers fled, leaving me and Percy alone in the bathroom. I was soaked from head to foot. I looked at him. Weirdly, he was totally dry as if the water droplets had spared him. Truly strange.

"How did you..." I started.

"I don't know."

The poor kid had used his godly power, and he knew nothing about why or how. I asked him who his father was. Surely one of the 12 Olympians, as he was really powerful. That reduced it to six possibilities (four if you exclude the Big Three, except he could be THE demigod of the prophecy, so it wasn't impossible). We left the bathrooms, and I saw Clarisse in the mud, as soaked and wet as me. She shot her death glare (which was normally reserved for me) at Percy, and spat at him:

"You're dead newbie. You're downright dead."

"You want to gargle toilet water again, Clarisse? Shut your mouth."

Huge, the replies of this boy, sometimes. I was truly stunned - first, he stumbled and made to be an idiot in front of the Hermes kids, and now he shows that he is actually very difficult to conquer. A small hope returned to my heart that maybe all was not lost for him.

Clarisse was truly furious. Her siblings have training outside their cabin. I looked at Percy, and told myself that she would want revenge at all costs... but it wasn't important where; she would choose the time and place. Capture the flag, of course! This boy would be the main target of the Ares cabin, and no one could blame them for hurting him - that was the game. If they were against him... they would neglect the flag! I needed him for capture the flag.

"What is it?" he asked me. (I had possibly been staring for some time...) "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking I want you on my team for Capture the Flag," I responded sincerely, feeling a bit guilty about using the boy.


	3. Chapter 3

**3\. A Poor Boy Becomes my Greatest Hope.**

Apparently, the story of the defeat of the Ares kids by a newbie had spread very quickly. When I showed Percy around Camp, or the few places he hadn't already seen, everyone was pointing at him, whispering excitedly, or maybe they were watching me, as I was still soaked and I heard the words "toilet water" several times.

Brainless (the nickname wasn't suitable anymore, he had enough brains to humiliate Clarisse) went to the metal workshop, which left him confused - at first glance, the poor boy didn't understand why we forged weapons in a summer camp. After that, we went to the Arts and Crafts room (the most boring place in this beautiful Camp) and I showed him the climbing wall. His face was astonished when he saw it was historic; he regarded the lava and boulders with an open mouth like a fish out of water. Nostalgically, I looked back at when I was seven years old, a teeny little shrimp, asking my own "guide" why the Camp wanted to burn its campers.

To finish the tour of the property, I brought him to the canoe lake, where finally there was no one to point. Percy seemed more peaceful at the water's edge, more serene.

Not knowing what else to do with this intriguing boy, I decided to find an excuse to abandon him.

"I need to go train," I told him. "Dinner is at seven thirty. All you have to do is follow your cabin to the dining pavilion."

It seemed to dawn on him that I was going away, and adopted a guilty face, looking at my smelly and dirty clothes. "Annabeth, I'm sorry about the toilets."

"No big deal."

What else could I tell him? That he had soiled my clothes? No, especially when they know I pay no attention to my clothes. And what's more, if it was to frig Clarisse again, I would shower again in the toilet water.

"It wasn't my fault."

I regarded him with suspicion. Not his fault? My foot! He was completely dry and both of us know the water obeyed him.

The water obeyed him... by Athena! He was powerful, the son of an Olympian, and he controlled water! It couldn't be ... But why not, after all? Thalia had been born in spite of the pact, no?

"You need to consult with the Oracle," I told him - almost ordered.

"Who's that?"

Here I thought his "idiot" moments had passed... Boy could he be an idiot, sometimes!

"Not 'who.' 'What.' The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron."

I was aware of confusing him with my sentences that were not clear at all, but I had been a surge of hope, his stupidity had annoyed me (this boy annoyed me too quickly, I needed to control myself...) and I wanted to go away.

Almost-Brainless (I needed to find a new nickname, and quickly!) looked into the depths of the lake, and he greeted two naiads who were flirting with him.

"Don't encourage them," I warned him. "Naiads are formidable teasers."

"Naiads?" Percy repeated stupidly, seeming completely lost. "That's good, then. I want to go home, now."

The poor thing. Here I had thought that the Talk was over already... it was just the beginning.

"But you don't understand. Percy? You are home here. It's the only place on earth that's safe for children like us."

"You mean children that suffer from psychological issues?"

"I mean not human. Not entirely humans, in any case. Half humans."

That, he had gotten, nevertheless... what with all that I had told him! Furthermore, I had announced to him that Clarisse was the daughter of Ares and he had known that that was the god of war, so a part of him understood...

"Half human and half what?"

"I believe you know." (I'm almost certain, I told myself.)

"God."

Finally! The first part of the conversation was over, it would be necessary to explain to him the rest of the story now... and anonymity of his father.

"Your father is not dead, Percy. He is one of the Olympians."

""That's ... crazy."

Pff... This newbie was almost as naive as candid...

"Really? What was the most common thing that the gods did in the old stories? they spent their time falling in love with mortals and having children with them. You think they have changed their habits these past few millennia?"

"But those are only..." He seemed to hesitate a moment then continued. "But if the kids here are all half-gods...''

"Demigod," I corrected. "That's the official term. Demigod or Half-blood."

"So who's your father?"

My father... That man, who rejected me, who never appreciated me, who had forgotten me to turn towards my "normal" half-brothers... Why did this boy know how to touch my weak spots so easily?

"My dad's a teacher at the military academy West Point," I responded diplomatically. "I haven't seen him since I was really little. He teaches American History."

"He is human."

What a moron! Percy didn't understand that goddesses stayed at Olympus too, still?

"What? You presume that it is necessarily male gods that are attracted to humans? How sexist is that, you die!" I said indignantly.

"Who is your mother, then?"

"Cabin 6," I said proudly.

"That means?"

I straightened up to my full height, because if my father was my shame, then my mother was my pride.

"Athena. Goddess of wisdom and battle."

Percy seemed speechless, then asked me, "And my father?"

"Undetermined, as I just said. No one knows."

"Except for my mother. She knows."

"Perhaps not, Percy. The gods don't always reveal their identities."

"My father would have told her. He loved her."

The poor boy. He really believed that. For him, his father was his childhood dream: who is very sincere with the woman of his life , who reluctantly abandons her to wait with a baby so he can fulfill godly duties... I actually felt sorry for him.

"You might be right. He might send a sign. That's the only way to know for certain - your father has to send a sign claiming you as his son. That happens sometimes."

"You mean that sometimes, it doesn't happen?"

Sometimes? The vast majority of cases, rather! But I could not take away his hope.

"The gods are busy. They have many children and aren't always..."

And now dang, I told myself I needed to be sincere with this boy, especially if he was THE demigod.

"Sometimes they are not interested in us, Percy. They ignore us."

Almost-Brainless seemed to reflect (and yes, as incredible as it sounds, this boy knew how to think!) then angrily exclaimed:

"So I'm stuck here. That's it? For the rest of my life?"

"That depends," I responded. "Some people spend only the summer at camp. If you are a child of Aphrodite or Demeter, you are doubtless not that powerful. Monsters may ignore you, you can then simply train for a few months in the summer and live in the mortal world the rest of the year. But for some of us, it is too dangerous to leave. We are the permanents. In the mortal world, we attract monsters. They detect our presence. They come to us to provoke battle. Most often, they leave us in peace until we are large enough to cause trouble, that is to say until the age of ten or eleven years, but after that, the majority of demigods either land here or are eliminated. Some manage to survive in the outside world and becomes celebrities. Believe me, if I give you some of their names, you will recognize them. Some don't even realize that they are demigods. But that is a very, very, very rare case."

"And you are also a very, very, very rare case", I added mentally. How could he have survived 12 years? He was really powerful, the bathroom incident had confirmed it for me, the possibility he could be the son of a minor god was officially discarded. But to be powerful and not attacked for 12 years was totally abnormal...

Percy pulled me out of my thoughts. "So the monsters can't come in here?"

I nodded before specifying, "Unless they have been deliberately placed in the woods or specially called by someone inside."

"What reason would someone have to summon a monster?"

"Train for battle. Practical jokes," I responded as if it was going to happen." (since it _was_ going to happen)

"Practical jokes?"

I ignored the question and explained to him, "The thing is that the boundaries of Camp are locked to prevent mortals or monsters from entering. From the outside, the mortals look at the valley and don't see anything out of the ordinary, just strawberry fields."

"So ... you are a permanent?"

What an abrupt change of the subject. I nodded. Mechanically, I took out my necklace, ornamented with five clay beads and my father's ring. Well that I detested him with my whole soul, the ring meant a lot to me.

Unable to explain myself to him, I decided to respond peacefully to Percy's question, without containing myself or repelling him.

"I have been here since I was seven," I said. "Each year in August, the last day of summer session, you receive a bead for surviving another year. I've been here for longer than most of the counselors, and they all go to college.

"Why did you come here so little?"

"That does not concern you," I attacked him.

"Oh."

He looked uncomfortable. I was aware that I had been a bit too sharp, but my father was a sensitive subject. Even my closest campanions of cabin 6 didn't have too many details on that issue. Only Luke and Grover know the full story.

After a moment of silence, Percy regained his speech, en prenant soin de changer de sujet :

"So... I could go away right now, if I wanted?"

"That would be suicide but you could, with permission from Mr. D or Chiron. That said, they don't give their permission before the end of summer session except..."

"Except?"

This is the moment I have been waiting for! After two seconds of silence (for the suspense, you understand?) I continued.

"If they give you a quest. But that practically never happens. The last time..."

The last time, Luke had had his face ripped... And since then, no one had had the right to leave. No need to give the details to Percy.

"In the infirmary, when you gave me that stuff to eat..."

"Ambrosia," I informed him.

"Yeah. You asked me a question about the summer solstice."

So he _knows_! He has some info!

"So you do know something?" I pressed him in an attempt to not sound to impatient.

"Actually ... no." (idiot!) "At my old school, I overheard a conversation between Grover and Chiron. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said that we didn't have much time, because of the deadline, or something like that. What did that mean?"

Good, at least some of my suspicions had merit. But the querying in my mind stayed the same. Frustrated, I responded, "If only I knew! Chiron and the satyrs know, but they refuse to tell me. There is something wrong at Olympus, something serious. Pourtant, the last time I went there, everything seemed normal."

"You went to Olympus?" he asked me, stunned.

"Some of the permanents – Luke, Clarisse, myself, and a handful of others – went there on a field trip during the winter solstice. That's when the gods hold their annual Grand Council," I patiently explained.

"But ... how did you go there?"

He didn't give up easily, did he.

"Well, by the Long Island railroad, of course. You go down at Penn Station. At the Empire State Building, you take the special elevator for the six hundredth floor."

I knew I was giving out strange information for a newbie, but the subject of the solstice obsessed me. Furthermore, with his quickdraw, he could only get there from the Empire State Building, New York, he knew.

"You're a New-Yorker, aren't you?"

"Yeah, of course."

Pressed to return to the main subject, and having decided to confide in the boy, I continued, "Just after our visit, the weather went haywire, as if a dispute had erupted between the gods. Since then, I overheard two or three conversations between the satyrs. From what I understood, something important was stolen. And if the thing is not returned there by the summer solstice, sparks will fly. When you arrived, I hoped... I mean, Athena can get along with practically everyone, apart from Ares. And then, of course, there is her rivalry with Poseidon. But in the end, apart from that, I thought that we could work together. I believe you know something."

He shook his head.

"I've got to get a quest," I said, more for myself than for Percy. "I am not too young. If only they told me what the problem was..."

The boy looked at me, and his stomach grumbled. Thoughts flying, I told him to go to cabin 11.

I sat down on the floor, to organize my thoughts.

This boy could very well be the one I was waiting for. He was powerful. He had battled the Minotaur. He could control water. The powerful demigods were the children of Zeus, Poseidon, Ares, Athena, or Hephaestus... So for him, that left Zeus, Poseidon, Ares, and Hephaestus.

Normally, Zeus and Poseidon were dismissed, but I always hoped he would be the demigod. Ares was quite unlikely... I needed to observe more closely to determine his godly parent's identity. How he had controlled the water... was a significant clue.

He could very well be the one I was looking for; the idea excited me and annoyed me at the same time. It excited me because I could finally leave on a quest and show them what I was capable of. It annoyed me because to leave on a quest with Percy... that was unnerving. He had a knack for touching my sensitive points or angering me, like during his questions about my past...

My thoughts then drifted towards my family - at least towards my father. However I tried to deny it constantly, I couldn't lie to myself - I missed him. I knew he had abandoned me, but he had done nothing to stop me. My half brothers were always put before me ... everything was put before me. His wife, his colleagues, his "normal" children, his projects... I was always the weird daughter, to avoid...

Moping for a long time, I did not see the time pass, and had to run to the cabin to bring my half brothers and sisters to the pavilion. I noticed Percy at cabin 11's table, at the edge of the bench. He seemed a bit lost.

When the nymphs brought us food, I saw Percy asking his glass for a blue drink. That surprised me, but I quickly forgot the detail, going to make an offering to my mother.

"Athena," throwing a scrap of barbecue.

After a moment of hesitation, I added softly, "Mom, help me, please. I need my quest. I need to know what happened at Olympus, I..."

Before becoming too unrealistic ("Athena cannot favor her children," the rational part of my brain told the emotional part), I walked away from the fire and I went back to my table.

Talking a bit with my neighbors, I ate peacefully, without successfully chasing the summer solstice theft and this so intriguing boy out of my mind. After the campfire singalong, j'ai reconduis les Athena au bungalow 6.

In my bed, I told myself it was really necessary to hope Percy was the demigod. Then I fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**4\. I am without scruples to have the flag**

Every morning, I taught Percy Ancient Greek. Just as I had predicted to him, he eventually could read several verses of Homer without too much difficulty. Like normal, I talked of the gods in the present, but that seemed to upset (a bit) Percy.

In my free time, I watched him in order to determine the identity of his father. That was a difficult enough task - he was not gifted at foot races (he was slower than a tree, that is to say), nor wrestling (Clarisse made him bite the dust every time he set foot on the mat). Chiron had tried to teach him archery, but he failed miserably - a cold shiver me return to when I saw an arrow brush against the centaur neck to come to a stop in the white hairs of its tail. When he was in the forge, he almost got charred to a crisp and spilled half the tools with a flinch...

So his father could not be Apollo, and Ares and Hephaestus were also discarded.

By my calculations, there was only two possibilities left - Zeus and Poseidon. Two of the Big Three. Two options that everyone had already discarded, but not me. If my reasoning was good, Percy was a departure from the pact and had more chance of being the demigod that I have waited for for a long time.

* * *

Thursday evening, only one subject of conversation occupied the campers - Percy had battled Luke at fencing. Almost-Brainless had dueled the absolute master, in his very first combat. All appearing to be totally disinterested, I could not keep from turning my brain - Percy, the newbie, the beginner, had an obvious innate talent for swordplay.

Percy... But of course! Percival or Perseus, I had deduced! Now, Perseus had been a son of Zeus. And an excellent swordsman.

Additionally, Perseus had gotten help from Hermes and Athena: Luke and me!

I was almost sure of it - Percy Jackson was the second child of Zeus breaking the pack.

* * *

I watched Friday arrive with emotion - I would show the newbie that intelligence was stronger that brute strength. I was going to have the Ares banner. I was going to win Capture the Flag.

As the Athena counselor, I made alliances. I did not want to encumber myself with the Aphrodite, nor the Demeter, which I judged just as useless, and I tried to negotiate with the Hephaestus, but they were already on Clarisse's side. Luke had obviously accepted to help, and the Apollos were delighted that I would trade their loyalty for a week of chores. My team thus contained three cabins - Athena, Hermes and Apollo, but those were the most numerous.

* * *

After dinner and Chiron's normal talk, I gathered my armor and I shouted to my team, "Forward, blues!"

Percy, who wore armor three times too big for him, came towards me. He almost ran to keep up with my stride.

"Hey. So, what's the plan? Any magic items to give me?"

I mechanically patted my pocket, to assure me my hat was always there. After all, Percy had spent three days in the Hermes cabin, who could very well have taught him their kleptomania.

"Watch out for Clarisse's lance, that's all," I told him. "Don't let her touch you with it. Other than that, don't worry. We will snatch the Ares banner. Has Luke given you a post?"

That question was useless - I myself had asked Luke to put Percy in border patrol. Echoing my thoughts, the boy responded, "Border patrol, and to see what that means."

"Great. You post yourself near the stream and prevent reds from passing. For the rest, trust me. Athena always has a plan."

 _And what plan!_ I thought, abandoning Percy at the water's edge. I knew Clarisse was looking for vengeance on Percy for the attack in the bathrooms. I knew that by leaving Percy alone at the edge of the stream, the Ares would all fall down on him.

I felt a prick of guilt, but I told myself it was for a good cause - get the flag and humiliate Cabin 5 even more.

I was rushing towards the opposite bank when the conch sounded. While battling the few reds that I passed, I got closer and closer to the flag. I arrived first, but I saw Luke, flanked by two Hermes, arrive as well. I put on my cap, and decided to leave the flag, thus the glory, to my childhood friend (only friend, unfortunately). I went in the opposite direction, towards Percy, to check he was not slaughtered by the Ares.

The scene that I witnessed on arrival surprised me - Percy was standing in the stream, four Ares surrounded him without seeming to want to approach, and Clarisse attacking him with her lance, which was quickly snapped by the sword of the boy.

The Ares counselor let out a cry, and wanted to attack Percy with a sword, but this one was forced to leave the stream backwards, the tip of his sword between his two eyes.

Luke then surged forward, and crossed the creek. We won! My plan worked! I wanted to congratulate Luke, but he was surrounded by our allies so I told myself I could very well do it later and I approached Percy, always wearing my Yankee's cap of invisibility. I felt that I owed him some apologies, but just like compliments, they did not come to me easily.

"Not bad, hero." Percy searched for me, in vain. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

I doffed my cap. Percy did not seemed surprised or shocked that I could turn invisible. He was rather furious.

"You played a trick on me," he told me. "You put me here because you knew Clarisse would attack me, while you sent Luke by the side of the hill. You had it all worked out."

What could I say? Child of Athena here, of course I had it all worked out. I had manipulated him, put him in danger, to make my plan work. Shrugging my shoulders to banish the guilt, I responded to him, "I already told you, Athena always, always has a plan."

"A plan to get me pulverized."

"I came as fast as I could. I was going to jump into the fray, but... you didn't need any help."

He surprised me, I'll admit. He had a clean and dignified fight facing the five fiercest teens in Camp. En plus, he had got out with very few injuries. There had only been a wound on his arm that was fairly dee-

Then I saw it - the wound on his arm. The one I had remarked on some moments earlier, very deep, and which now resembled a scratch.

"How did you do that?" I asked.

"It's a sword wound, what did you think?"

"No. It _was_ a sword wound. Look."

He also looked at his arm, and we both saw how the scratches disappeared.

"I... I don't understand," he murmured.

He had controlled the water in the piping. He only excelled at canoeing. He had battled Luke pouring on his head a cup of cold water (after Luke did the same himself). During the field trip to the Art Museum with Yancy Academy, he pushed a kid into the water (according to Grover). And now, he battled the Ares and humiliated Clarisse by snapping her lance... with his feet in the stream!

To confirm the theory born in my spirit, I told him, "Get out of the water Percy."

"What's-."

"Get out. That's all."

As soon as Percy broke contact with the water, he flinched and almost fell from fatigue. Water had a truly energizing effect on his system. This boy was a mistake, a breach of the promises of the big three, but he was not the son of Zeus, like I had thought. No. He was the son of the god of the sea and earthquakes. My mother's eternal rival.

"Oh, Styx," I swore. "That's not good. I didn't want... I was certain it was Zeus..."

Lost in my thoughts, I almost did not hear the roar that rang through the forest. A hellhound, without doubt.

It came, and all the campers were ready to fight. But the monster did not seem to stare at me; rather, he stared at my neighbor - Percy.

"Run, Percy!" I yelled.

I wanted to protect my body, but the dog bounded and passed over me. I imagined him already on Percy when a half-dozen arrows pierced his neck. He fell, dead, on the poor boy, injuring him.

" _Di immortelles_ ," I said. "It's a hellhound from the fields of punishment. They're not ... they're not supposed to..."

"Someone called it," said Chiron, dark-faced. "Someone inside Camp."

Clarisse cried out, "It's Percy's fault! Percy called it."

For Chiron's part, he asked for people to calm themselves, but no one paid him any attention. We saw the hellhound disappear, then I saw Percy.

"You are injured, Percy. Get in the water, quickly."

"It's fine."

"No, it's not fine. Chiron, look."

Percy dragged himself into the creek and immediately, he healed and his face regained color. No more possible doubt - his father was indeed Poseidon.

Echoing my thoughts, a green trident flashed above Percy's head while he apologized. (Why? Absolutely no idea.) To signal to him the hologram, I said, "Percy... uh..." Not that intelligent of a reply, I know, but at least he looked above his head. "His father. This is _really_ not good."

"Determined," declared Chiron.

Everyone knelt, me and the Ares understood.

"My father?" Percy asked stupidly.

"Poseidon. Master of earthquakes and tempest, father of horses. Greetings, Perseus Jackson, son of the sea god."

* * *

Chiron ordered us to go to bed. Obviously, I could not sleep. How could I have, when my greatest hope to have a quest proposed to me was so vivid. This boy could be –surely was– the boy of the prophecy. My last coherent thought, before falling deeply asleep, was - "I was reasonable, his name was Perseus."


	5. Chapter 5

**5\. I See my Dream Realized**

The next day, I got up when the sun had still not risen. I was rested, but something bothered me. I quickly remembered what - Percy Jackson, the untalented newbie, was the determined son of the Lord of the oceans. This turns him into a powerful demigod, a potential hero of the quest ... and my rival.

Bizarrely, that made me sad. I did not want my relationship with Percy to be the same as that of my mother with Poseidon. But it would be so, regardless of my wishes. Thus, to avoid unnecessary suffering, I decided to avoid the boy more often. I did not see him in the mornings, for his course in Ancient Greek, for I could not disobey an order from Chiron even so.

The son of the seagod seemed depressed, as was to be expected - since the Friday of Capture the Flag, the campers had were fleeing him, avoiding him liek the plague.

Only Luke continued to help him train at swordplay. What I would have given to be able to spend so much time alone with Luke. One day, almost in spite of myself, I went to watch them in the arena with my cap.

I should not have.

I had briefly seen Percy, to be sure. Then I saw him. Luke.

He was soaked, his shirt stuck to his skin, hinting at well drawn chocolate bars. He had slightly red cheeks, from the effort, and with each sword blow, the muscles of his arm hardening magnificently. I watched him for a dozen minutes, then I eclipsed, as red as him, but without making an effort.

After some minutes of thinking at the beachfront, I had arrived at some conclusions to explain my sickness and admiration toward Luke.

No possible doubt - the blond was very gifted at fencing. The son of Hermes was too cute. And I had a weakness for him.

 _WHAT?!_

My pretty rational mind had just confessed to a totally irrational feeling? No, no, no and no! Luke was a friend, nothing more. A friend. What was...

 _Shut up!_ I ordered my brain. I was going to end up looking like a daughter of Aphrodite.

Since they were different enough, I could not help but compare Luke and Percy. The one was tall and blond, the other short with brown hair. The one was nice, the other was unbearable. But both were masters of swordplay, and they were very powerful. In a serious combat, I did not know who would win.

* * *

Oddly enough, since I had not known him for more than a week, I missed Percy. He had a talent for identifying to me the flaws in my plans (without noticing, of course. No one knew Athena's plans had flaws - minimal though they were). And he made me laugh. Even more often than he made me mad, maybe.

One morning, Alex – my older brother – woke me up. This surprised me a lot - normally, I was the first one to get up every day, and it was me that woke up the cabin. And the days when I sleep in, they let me sleep in peace.

"Annabeth... Annabeth..." he murmured.

Tired, I had to answer in something of a style - "wuzappened?"

"Annabeth, Grover went knocking at the door of cabin 3... And you had asked us to keep you informed, so..."

In a flash, I was wide awake. "He what? Percy left? Why?"

I continued to ask him bunch of questions in a murmur, while picking up my clothes quickly. Without wasting time to respond to my brother, I locked myself in the bathrooms, and five minutes later, I went out again, all ready, my cap in hand.

"Thanks Alex! See you!"

Leaving, I told myself that my instinct had not deceived me (it almost never did that). I knew that Percy - quick debrief: forbidden child of a sacred pact - had the right to a quest; Chiron had very well seem that the borders of the camp were no longer safe. I could see Grover and Percy, far off, heading toward the Big House.

Arriving at my destination, Percy and Grover were already talking with the god of wine (and of madness, let's not forget).

"... change you into a dolphin, at the place, and send you back to your father," Dionysus told Almost-Brainless (I really needed to find a nickname)

After a warning from Chiron, Dionysus converted a playing card to a pass to the six hundredth floor of the Empire States Building and vanished. The centaur then engaged in a conversation with Percy, then pronounced the awaited sentence - "Your quest, of course. Do you accept it?"

 _Yes, say yes!_ I wanted to scream. The boy contented himself with explaining that he knew his father was fighting with Zeus, and to crown it all - he said that it was me that divulged to him the information... Thanks for the discretion, really!

Then... "I've been having dream." he confessed.

And he did not tell me about them! This damn boy made me unveil all my knowledge and did not even have the grace to reciprocate!

But my anger settled - Chiron explained to Percy all the circumstances of the mysterious solstice theft. I was hanging on to his every word. At last the truth!

Thus, Percy was accused of stealing and needed to recover the lost lightning bolt. I was first in line! I wanted to be a part of this quest. I touched Chiron's shoulder, to warn him of my presence, then I went back to a corner, waiting for the end conversation which seemed endless.

* * *

It started to rain, and I could not believe my eyes. It was raining! I've been a camper for five years now, and this was the first time it's rained! But that was understandable - Percy was Zeus's main target, for now.

The boy accepted his quest ( _my_ quest) in the end and left to consult the Oracle. Lucky! Me, I had never had the chance. He returned and we unveiled half the prophecy (it was evident enough that it was not complete).

After Chiron's explanations to Percy concerning the mission, that I listened to with him, finally the time came for Percy to choose his companions for the trip.

"You can bring two companions with you on your quest. The first is Grover. The second has already volunteered, if you will accept her aid."

What? Someone else was going to go with him? No!

Then I understood - knowing that I was present, and why I was it, Chiron had anticipated my request.

"Whoa!" Percy exclaimed. "Who else could be stupid enough to volunteer for such a quest?"

This boy annoyed my royally. But I needed this son of the god of the sea, sharks, fish, and seaweed... Seaweed! But of course!

I took off my cap, and just to test my new findings, I said, "It's been a long time since I've been on a quest, Seaweed Brain." (what a perfect effect! This one was a keeper!) "Athena is not a fan of Poseidon," (and how!) "but if you're being called to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from screwing up."

"If you say so. I suppose you have a plan, O Well of Wisdom?"

 _Touché_. One each. Feeling the heat rising in my cheeks, I responded to him, "You want my help, yes or no?"

"A trio. That will work."

Yippy! I had officially embarked on a quest. With a half-moron boy, certainly, but a quest all the same.

* * *

 **And there you go, chapter 5! (corresponding to chapter 9 in the book). Lucky you, you get two chapters at once!**


	6. Chapter 6

**6\. I want some action? I get it!**

When I entered Cabin 6 again, I had a big smile on my face. I was going to leave on a quest! I was finally going to cross the boundaries of Camp! Nothing could ruin my good mood.

Quite surprised, my brothers and sisters found me again, while I was packing my bags. After a silent moment due to surprise (you do not often see Annabeth lost in the moon), Julie, the youngest in the cabin, asked me timidly, "Annabeth... You're going away?"

"Yes!" I could not contain my enthusiasm. "I'm heading to Los Angeles!"

"You ... what? You got a quest? How?" This time, it was Miley who had asked.

Before I cold respond, Alex explained, "It's obvious, isn't it? Annabeth is leaving on a quest with Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon. She been wanting to go there since he arrived. She believed – just like with the arrival of every newbie – that he was the demigod he was waiting for. Except that this time, she was right. It's for that that she asked us to report to her any suspicious behavior at his cabin. She did not want to carry out the surveillance herself, since she does not want to ruin their possibilities at friendship because of our parents' rivalry."

With that, I was shocked. Sometimes, I forgot that as sons of Athena, my brothers had the same analytical capacity as me. Furthermore, Alex was very observant (almost as much as me). It was him that had realized that the satyrs had murmured quite a bit since the solstice. It was therefore logical that my short little game was discovered. But at the same time... I needed to learn to be a bit more discreet in the future.

After confirming the statements of my brother and explaining in detail what had happened, while finishing up my suitcase – if you can call a small bag like this that- I received good luck wishes from my whole cabin. With a melange of fear and excitement, I went to the Big House, where Percy, Grover and Chiron were waiting for me.

The centaur gave us a bag of ambrosia and nectar and some last-minute advice. He walked away while we greeted the campers come to wish us good luck, or to simply watch us leave – a quest was still very exceptional these days at Camp.

Arriving at the big pine, I painfully remembered the circumstances of it creation. How Thalia had required Grover to bring the two of us, Luke and me, to the Big House. How the blond boy had explained to me, just as young as I was, that our good friend had been "reincarnated" as a tree. How I had cried the whole night, thinking back to the cyclops who had, because of me, delayed us. What bad memories.

I made myself think of the good moments with my first two real friends. The joy we felt after vanquishing a monster, envisioning a few hours of respite. Thalia staging to build shelters acting out as if he were Robinson Crusoe. The time spent with Luke teaching me to handle the dagger. Luke, who had been my savior. The same image of the perfect hero. I owed him my life. While a small smile played on my lips, I heard footsteps, footsteps that were too familiar. The object of my thoughts appeared, a bit out of breath.

In a crazy thought, I wished that he would come tell me good bye. But he was addressing Seaweed Brain, and I felt slightly ashamed. I had not followed the conversation, so that my cheeks would not burn anymore, and I was very surprised when the beautiful blond took me in his arms and gave me a kiss. For the first time in my life, my head was empty. The only coherent thought (actually, "coherent" is a good big word) that came from my head was: "Luke hugged me! Luke hugged me, of his own accord, without being in mortal danger! Luke hugged me!"

Then, as suddenly as it had started, our embrace ended, and without a backwards glance, Luke took off towards Camp. My heart was racing, pounding against my chest furiously, and my brain refused to let me think of anything but this sweet and all too brief contact with the son of Hermes.

"Breathe, you're hyperventilating," a voice sounded behind my shoulder.

Seaweed Brain. Who else? Unfortunately, he was right... I took a deep breath of air before responding to him, "Whatever."

"You let him win Capture the Flag, huh?"

"Oh..." I was going to say "of course not", although they knew, the both of them that he was perfectly right. I thus preferred to use my best survival technique - dodging.

"Percy! How can I be jealous of leaving with _you_?"

To stop the argument, I rushed toward the van, without even greeting Chiron. Argus followed me. A little bit later, Grover arrived flying... flying?

"Annabeth! Annabeth! Percy offered me Luke's flying shoes! They're awesome!"

He rushed into the van and began to undo his shoelaces.

"I know that Luke gave them to Percy, but since Percy is not allowed in the sky... So you see, he bequeathed them to me! And..."

Grover continued to talk about Percy's enormous generosity and his fabulous magic shoes, but I had stopped listening to the window, I watched Percy talking with Chiron, then materializing a sword in his hand... Thus Chiron's sword now has a new owner. I wanted to be jealous, but it was impossible - I did not like handling swords, and Percy had a real talent for doing it, even I had to admit. I sat gazing at the pine which had once been a friend of mine, and I noted that Grover – who had finally gotten that I was not listening - did the same. The two of us were both thinking about the same person; we both felt just as guilty of the events.

Finally, Percy arrived.

"You certainly took your time," I grumbled.

I knew I was in a bad mood, but I could not avoid it.

"I talked with Chiron he explained to me a bunch of really useful stuff, for example what the Mist is, or how the world was before the gods. You know the time of Kronos..."

"Don't say the names; they have power."

"But he's dead!"

"No, he is cut into pieces at the bottom of Tartarus."

"Yes, it was the gods that cut him up, with his own..."

"I know. I have been studying the story for a longer time than you have."

I was aware – yet again – of having been sharp with Percy, but I did not really want to talk with him right at that moment. I could not be friends with him _genetically_. So no stupid and useless discussions.

To begin with, Percy accommodated him and talked peacefully with Grover. Despite myself, I strained my ears. Their topics for conversation were very strange... They went from Nancy Bobo-thing to enchiladas, from fencing training sessions to grills... All that in less than a minute. Apparently, after twenty minutes or so, all their subjects of conversation had been exhausted. The marine heir therefore turned to me.

"So far, everything is going great. 10 miles and not a single monster."

"It's bad luck to talk like that, Seaweed Brain," I responded to him coldly, before avoiding (again) the whole conversation.

After a few minutes, Percy asked me merrily, "Refresh my memory... why do you hate me so much already?"

He was really bad with indirectness...

"I don't hate you."

"Could've fooled me."

I felt a prick of guilt. Now that he said it, it was true that he did in fact merit some explanations.

"Listen... It's just that we're not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals."

If I thought that he would leave the conversation at that point...

"Why?"

...then I thought wrong.

I thus gave him the most evident reasons for the Poseidon/Athena rivalry, which had already lasted several millennia... But that did not stop him from highlighting his imbecility; no one laughs at that. He even managed to stress Argus. He did not say anything, but a blue eye blinked on his neck.

At the end of the day, we finally arrived at our destination... actually, to the real departure point of our quest. After buying our tickets, we set up to wait for the train. To begin with, I did not listen to the boys, but what Grover said about Percy's stepfather left me thoughtful.

"The second I smelled the inside of his Camaro, I understood. Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you had not passed the whole summer with him, monsters would have spotted you a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you."

I finally had my answer! That was why Percy had survived a whole twelve years all while being the son of one of the Big Three: he was protected, indirectly, certainly, but protected all the same. I knew very well that it would have been impossible otherwise.

We were all three of us in the bus stop, waiting for the bus, trying to avoid the rain. There was no more space on the benches, so we stood. The wait was unbearable. I trembled at every sound, every movement, fearing an attack that would eliminate us. But nothing happened. Only the rain continued to fall...

At the end of an hour, Grover got out one of his apples, to snack on. Percy then had a rather strange idea, but quite welcome (for once).

"Hey, G-man! Throw me your apple!"

Intrigued, the satyr did so. Percy bounced the apple off his knee, then sent it towards me. Instinctively, I played with it, making it roll between my two shoulders, then made it go off toward Grover. The game occupied us for a good quarter of an hour, until that glutton of a satyr could not keep himself from gulping down our improvised ball any longer. As he kept trying to awkwardly apologize, Percy and I were bent double.

While my lungs ached (with each time Grover came up with a new excuse, Percy and I were bent double in helpless mirth), the bus finally arrived. Boarding, I realized that the satyr had smelled some monsters. He would not admit it, but I knew him too well for him to leave me in the dark. So I was very wary, and I shuddered at seeing an old lady boarding the bus.

Why be afraid of an old lady, you ask me? Well, simply because this was not one. This was a Fury. The Mist did not fool me. I warned Percy with a whisper, then I saw with fright that the monster was not alone - she had brought with her her two charming sisters.

All three Furies at once! That was something... I told myself that it was my punishment - had I not always prayed for a quite dangerous quest? And well, the gods had granted my wish!

Seeing them blocking the exit, I absentmindedly shushed Percy, then I tried to reassure Grover (and myself at the same time) while imagining an escape plan. "Don't worry. The Furies. The three worst monsters in hell. No problem. No problem. We'll go out the windows."

"They don't open," Grover said.

Dang. Why had I not used common sense when entering? I should have prepared an emergency escape plan the second I entered!

"A back exit?" proposed Percy.

Aha! That's the solution!

"There isn't one," Grover said again.

Double dang.

My last escape plan was destroyed - no exit through the roof; we just entered a tunnel. Apparently, this was the moment the Furies were waiting for. They got up, one after another, and approached.

Personally, I racked my brains.

The Furies were looking for Percy. If Percy went away, he would draw them away, since his aura was ten times stronger than mine and Grover's combined. Someone could thus attack them from behind. So...

"I've got it. Percy, take my cap."

"What?!"

Why did he always doubt my plans? I am still the daughter of the goddess of battle strategy, no?

"It's you that they want. Make yourself invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you by. You might be able to reach the front and save yourself."

"But..." (and it's back!) "what about you guys?"

"There's a small chance that they won't notice us. You're a son of one of the Big Three. You must have a smell that covers everything."

"I can't leave you guys like that."

It was true that that was hard. Abandoning his companions, like a pig, was not really in the nature of a hero ( _at least not in Percy's_ , a little voice whispered in my ear). Fortunately, Grover helped me to convince him. "Don't worry about us," he said. "Go on!"

Percy thus disappeared, and I saw Fury #1 sniff the air behind her, surely where Percy was. My plan worked, they will look for him and we can...

My hopes flew away. The Furies had abandoned their false appearances, and showed themselves as they really were - hags with giant bat wings, claws, and fiery whips. They circled us, and barked, "Where is it? Where did it go?"

Oh no! They had spotted Percy before he disappeared!

"He's not here!" I shouted. "He left!"

When I saw that the three old women had raised their whips, I unsheathed my dagger. I was not going to die without a fight! As I was about to engage in combat, I felt thrown to the right. _Cr_ _ash!_ The pane got me full in the face.

"Wha... What? Of course, Percy!" I thought. He was not going to let us die. I wanted to blame him for not respecting my plan, but I knew that he was going to save my life, since a satyr and a twelve year old kid against three enraged Furies... the outcome of the battle was easy to divine.

Fortunately, the Furies had suffered the same imbalance as me, and only rose. But as they advanced toward me, the coach continued to swing and we all fell over again. We went out of the tunnel, and the bus was out of control (thank you Percy). When it was about to crash into the trees, the tires screeched and we were all propelled forward. _Emergency breaks_ , my brain decided. The door opened, and all the passengers left.

To avoid injuring any innocents (correction: other than a demigod and a satyr), I decided to stay in the bus for the combat. Anyway, the Furies did not leave me much of a choice - they got up again, and approached menacingly, blocking the only exit.

I asked if Percy had left the coach with the rest of the passengers. The response was evident enough, no... He had caused enormous damages to the coach, cars, and passengers, all so the Furies would not eat us. He had inevitably stayed... no?

All while forming that innocent question, I waved my dagger towards Fury #1 and Fury #2, while Grover threw his aluminum cans at Fury #3. So...

"Hello!"

"Percy! Thank the gods!"

We engaged in the real battle. Percy unsheathed Riptide – that was the name of his sword – and I raised my dagger. The Furies ignored Grover and me, and concentrated themselves on Percy. While he could not help but launch an ironic commentary, I saw Fury #1 ("Mrs. Dodds") ready to crack her whip. All the blood deserted my face, and I felt a cold shiver run down my back.

"Percy! Watch out!"

Unfortunately, I had not managed to warn him in time. Furies #2 and #3 threw themselves on top of him, and my fear rose up in my throat again. Percy just barely touched the shoulder of Fury #2 with his sword, and the monster vaporized. Fury #3 suffered the same fate.

While Percy took care of Furies #2 and #3, Mrs. Dodds prepared a new attack. To prevent its implementation, I did the dumbest thing in the world - a judo hold (thank you Clarisse!) to press down the Fury. She struggled, but I held held her down while Grover bound her legs.

While Percy insulted the now defenseless Fury, thunder rumbled. "Zeus!" I thought with horror.

"Get out!" I shouted to Percy. "Right now!"

We rushed outside, and right after a tourist took a picture of us (weird, no?), the bus just... exploded, courtesy of Zeus.

But our troubles were not finished... Mrs. Dodds howled.

"Let's go!" I ordered. "She's calling reinforcements! We need to get out of here!"

And thus we entered the woods; wet, exhausted. But alive.

* * *

 **Well, sorry for the long wait guys. I meant to update in time for Christmas, but things did not work out that way. Sorry! As I have said before, reviews are encouraged.**


	7. Chapter 7

**7\. Petrifying Fast-Food**

So there... _A god_ , so as to not name any names - *cough...cough...Zeus...cough* - really wanted to eliminate us! Soaked, in the middle of the forest, out of sight of anything, without money, ambrosia, or nectar, and lost to boot, we had to find a way to get to Los Angeles.

I had a head quite muddled - how do you set up a plan worthy of Athena when you are lost in the forest? I really had a hard time drawing my strategy. I decided it was necessary to walk straight ... except "straight ahead" had nothing there. No more than to the right or the left. Despite that I forced the others to keep on walking, while Percy murmured something weird about gods and bad luck, and Grover was still in shock, complaining about the unfortunate loss of his provisions.

During this time, I was leading a true inner battle - on the one hand, I was disappointed. Disappointed because my beautiful plan (the one that consisted of distracting the Furies by removing Percy) had absolutely not worked, and in addition Percy had not even followed through with it.

For the other part, I was grateful to him for having neglected it, that crappy plan.

To distract myself, I decided to reflect upon this unsettling feeling that had been gnawing at me ever since the explosion, that told me that something was not right. So I mentally replayed the tape in my head of our battle with the Furies... But nothing came. Frustrated, I encouraged my group to bring us on to some known ground, or at least someplace inhabited.

"Go! Forward! The further away, the better!" I urged for the umpteenth time.

"All our money was back there," Percy responded to me. "Our provisions and our clothes. Everything."

Thanks for the optimism! I was trying like crazy to get us out of this mess, and the only thing he found to do was highlight the - too many - negatives of our adventure!

He wanted to be in bad faith? I could play that game too!

"Well maybe if you had not decided to join the fight..."

"What did you want me to do? Let them kill you?"

 _Touché_.

My pride was really hurt. But all the same! I had been training since I was seven, he was a beginner, he had to trust my plans!

"You do not need to protect me, Percy. I would have gotten out of there just fine all by myself."

"The size of a coin," Grover murmured, "but just fine."

That satyr...

"Shut up, goat boy.

He recovered enough to complain and bemoan his lost aluminum cans.

Personally, I moped. Percy _should have_ followed my plan. If he had, the bus would not have slipped. It would not have been struck down by Zeus. Our provisions would be intact. We would have money. But we'd be dead. So why could not I just thank him? "Thanks," it was not a complicated word, right? Why I could not swallow my pride? He just did what a true hero should do - save his companions..

But then why was I so upset?

Then I understood - I did not want Percy to die. An even more upsetting idea... Why? Why didn't I want him to die?

The only response I found was: Because this was his quest. Hence "Percy dead" amounted to "quest over," and thus a return to Camp. He had to stay alive. In order to save _my_ quest.

Grabbing hold of my courage with both hands, I approached Percy again and said to him, "Listen, uh..." ( _Go_ _on Annabeth, say it!_ I shouted internally) "I appreciate that you came back for us, okay? It was really courageous."

"We are a team, that I know."

He wasn't even annoyed! I had been odious, and he responded to me very naturally! I decided that he _really_ merited some explanations. It was thus because of that that I said to him (without much tact though, I must admit) that if he died, I would be once more stuck in Camp.

At some point during our discussion, the rain had stopped, as if it was following my dealings with Percy - we get mad, it rains, we make it up to each other, it's nice out.

 _Stop your nonsense, Annabeth!_ I scolded myself I had started to think like a child of Aphrodite... Think like Athena!

And all in a flash, it clicked - my plan hadn't worked because it was based on the idea that the Furies were looking for Percy. But they weren't searching for him, not him, but rather something else? So the failure of my plan was normal! To confirm my idea (and repair my pride, I must say), I recited to myself the words of the Fury : "Where is it? Where is _it_?"

That's it! The Furies were looking for something else!

Before I had time to talk about my discovery with Percy, he demanded details about life (about _my_ life) at Camp. I thus told him that to find out what a demigod is really made out of, you needed to go out on a quest in the real world.

He smiled at me (as far as I could tell given all the darkness), and told me, "You aren't half bad with that knife of yours."

I knew that he only wanted to reassure me. But behind that simple sentence, I guessed at a hidden message - Percy knew that despite the failure of my plan. we were not lost. He wasn't angry. And he was telling me that we could leave it behind us. Moved by his complement, which meant so much to me, I responded to him in an all tiny voice, "You think?"

"You, someone who can play the xylophone on the back of a Fury," he told me - respect.

I almost burst out laughing All the tensions disappeared, and I was about to tell him about the strange behavior of the Furies, when a horrible noise – which I immediately identified as those damned panpipes Grover has – echoed through the forest.

Despite the assertions of the satyr, who assured me that he could navigate us through safely, I firmly kept to my plan - walk straight ahead. Percy seemed entirely okay with that, even going so far as to murmur to me, "I feel like his 'find-path' song was plagiarized from Hillary Duff."

Holding in my laughter, I responded, "And you didn't hear him when he had it for the very first time, his flute... A horror!"

"What are you whispering about, you two?" demanded Grover.

"Us? Nothing at all, Goat boy," responded Percy with a smile.

While trying not to bang into trees (something that in all likelihood wasn't going to happen for Percy), talking about subjects of no importance, all three of us. Then we ended up – at last! – on a deserted road, where we saw yet more abandoned shops, and one that was still open. We smelled fried food maybe fifty yards ahead, and, poor me, my stomach growled.

Arriving at the front of the story, we stopped to read the neon red sign, in vain... Percy and I suffered from dyslexia.

Grover translated for us, "Auntie Em's Garden Gnome Emporium."

It was a weird place, which apparently sold – as the sign noted – statues for gardens. Surely not the sort of place where they sold food. But the smell was really attractive.

Grover tried to hold us back, Percy and me, but hunger dominates reason. So we all entered, without considering the complaints and warnings from the satyr.

We should have listened.

When Grover tried to get us to leave a second time, a woman veiled from head to foot appeared. She was a little bit creepy.

"Children," she told us, "It's too late to be alone outside. Where are your parents?"

"They... uh..."

I tried in vain to find a response, but what could we tell her? "Well, in fact, ma'am, my father is a history professor, but he does not want anything to do with me, and my mother is a goddess who does not really care about her kids"?

"We are orphans" Percy said.

Well found, Percy!

"Orphans?" repeated the strange woman. "But certainly not, my dears!"

We had the impression that she wanted to adopt us on the dot, without any pity or compassion whatsoever.

"We were separated from our caravan," continued Percy. "The caravan of our traveling circus. The director of our troop told us to go to the gas station if we ever get lost, but maybe he forgot, or maybe he was talking about another gas station. In any case, we are lost. Is that food that I am smelling?"

Damn Seaweed Brain! He had messed it all up. Now, we would not be given food!

But apparently, the woman did not care. "Oh, my dears. Come in then, poor children. I am Auntie Em. Go a ways into the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."

I did not need to be told twice. I almost ran to the indicated place.

I laughed at Percy for his bizarre idea, then I examined the place, which was even more bizarre. It was full of life size statues, of men, women, children, animals, and even mythological creatures very close to the actual thing.

It should have put me on my guard, these creatures so well represented, no? In my defense, I said that I had not eaten for hours and I was tired and frozen, so the idea of a warm dry place, offering food, confusing my thoughts is totally normal!

Installed in the dining area, I almost strangled Grover when he confessed to our hostess that we did not have a a circle. Luckily for us (and for the health of the satyr), Auntie Em did not care for a second. I thanked her, while giving Grover a withering look.

Auntie Em stiffened when I spoke to her. I did not understand why. Some part of my brain sent up an alarm, but I did not pay any attention. The alarm redoubled in intensity when the strange woman said my name without me being introduced.

Auntie Em then brought us burgers, and I completely forgot about the wise part of my brain.

Percy entered into a conversation with Auntie Em, who thus started to tell him her life, like all old ladies. I was listening with one ear, when my whole brain sounded the alarm in "imminent danger" mode.

 _"I had two sisters"_

 _"I only have my statues. That's why I make them"_

Oh, no... And Grover had warned us!

When the strange women told me her story, there was no more possible doubt. Auntie "Em," Auntie "M," was none other than Medusa, the gorgon punished by my mother.

Our hostess wanted my skin, she was looking for vengeance!

I tried to convince Percy to leave, but this mutton-head wanted to stay. He even agreed to the monster arranging us for a "photograph"! She was going to petrify us, and sell us as garden statues, like she had done with all her other visitors! Sitting on the bench, I told myself that my quest would stop all that. Then Percy remarked that the light was very weak and would ruin a picture. Furthermore, the woman did not have a camera.

Seaweed Brain was going to realize something! Or maybe someone needed to make him understand.

"Percy..."

He did not look.

While Auntie Em was preparing to remove her veil, I made myself more insistent. "Percy, there is something that is not right."

"Not right?" purred Auntie Em. "Not at all, my dear. I am in such noble company tonight. What might possible be wrong?"

Then everything happened very quickly. Grover and I had shouted almost simultaneously, I put on my invisibility cap and pushed my two traveling companions backward.

When Percy started to look at Medusa's face, I felt the blood drain from my face.

"No! Don't look at it!" I begged.

While I ran to hide behind the statues, eyes closed, I heard Medusa tell how she had become this monster.

Maybe my mother had been a bit harsh at first towards Medusa, but now, what had been a pretty woman swore by the blood and cruelty. It had to be overcome, as was done by the original Perseus in cutting her head.

Perseus.

Percy.

He might be a beginner, he had a much higher chance than I to beat Medusa. Firstly, he had attended a training with Luke, and he was as good a swordsman as him. Then, Medusa hated Athena, but loved Poseidon. She would sacrifice me without hesitation, but she wanted to keep Percy intact (in concrete, but intact). And finally, a sword like Riptide was much more useful for beheading than my knife.

My thoughts were interrupted by Grover who was heading straight toward Medusa, guiding himself by hearing and smell. After the first shot that he landed ("for Uncle Ferdinand!"), I rushed to Percy, to tell him about my plan.

The poor guy started violently. Ignoring his complaints, I took off my cap and declared, "You need to cut off her head."

"What? You are crazy!"

I explained to him my plan (well, "plan" is stretching it a bit, in this case), which did not completely convince him. So I played on sentiment - heroic, I must say - the most prevalent in Percy - the desire to protect the whole world.

"Listen, do you want her to change more innocent people into statues?"

I had won. But I could not let him go into battle blindly (literally).

So I give him a glass ball. For, according to the law of Descartes, if the two circles are different refractive indices, this causes refraction, therefore a distortion of the image, thus also Medusa's petrifying powers.

In short, Percy could use it to look Medusa without ending giant garden gnome.

I pressed Percy, who immediately departed, Riptide brandished.

I felt useless. Grover had crashed against a stone bears, and Percy was shouting to attract attention of the monster. I doing nothing.

I could not even watch the scene for fear of getting myself petrified.

I heard Grover shout Percy's name, like a warning, then Medusa's "too late".

 _No, not him!_ I thought.

Then I heard a sound I knew well - a sharp sword killing a monster who disintegrates.

Apparently Percy's training had been useful. I wanted to give all the credit to Luke, but I could not deny the learning speed and talent of Percy.

I decided go help. I felt cowardly, to intervene when the monster was already dead, but I could not do anything else.

With a thousand and one precautions, I wrapped up the sickening head of Medusa, then we returned we sit.

Around the counter, I explained the legend of Medusa to Percy, and Poseidon's lack of respect for my mother. Then everything returned to normal: I grumbled to Percy about his naivety, he blamed my bad character, Grover told us to be quiet. Bad mood, I did not answer the question of Grover (actually, I do not even listened to the satyr.)

Suddenly, Percy got up, and paid me no attention, which risked infuriating me.

But him searching everywhere keep an old invoice woke up my curious side. I watched the boy pocket the money (mortal or not), and grab a Hermes Express box, such as those often used Chiron.

Then I saw Percy write on the back:

THE GODS  
MOUNT OLYMPUS  
600th FLOOR  
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING  
NEW YORK, NY

 _With friendly greetings_  
PERCY JACKSON

Grover warned him that the gods would not be happy. And he was right. But, deep inside me, I understand Seaweed Brain while the satyr was unable.

Percy had the same feelings of abandonment as all the other half-blood. We had all been there. We asked ourselves questions, we suffered from a lack of parental attention and complained about the use of demigods by the gods as if they were pawns.

I understood Seaweed Brain. This does not prevent the fact that he had gotten even more gods mad at us.

I forced the others to leave Auntie Em's home, as I knew I would never find sleep into the abode of this monster, and in addition the wrath of Olympus hung above my neck. We took some clothes and food, and left into the woods.


	8. Chapter 8

**8\. Wisdom Versus the Pink Poodle**

The place that we had camped was visibly the ugliest and dirtiest place on the planet. It was invaded by cans and containers abandoned by polluting revelers..

After distributing food and blankets to my companions, I curled up on the floor, falling asleep instantly. I needed my forty winks to come up with a good plan tomorrow, the boys could take the first turn at watch.

Fortunately for me, no ugly demigod dream came to disturb me in my sleep. I woke up at dawn, and Grover was still up.

"Why didn't you guys wake me up to take my turn at watch?" I complained.

Grover seemed a bit ashamed.

"In fact, Percy slept almost as long as you..."

"You stayed up the whole night?"

I felt the guilt mingled with gratitude in my voice.

"You guys are the demigods, you need to rest a whole lot more a than I do... Me, I'm not doing any really big things in this quest..."

"Goat boy, you are as useful as Percy or I in this suicidal quest!"

Grover pouted.

"No, Annabeth. No. I did not succeed in my mission! I need to protect you! And it hasn't been more than three days since we left and we have already nearly died twice, and all that because I didn't smell the monsters!"

"But you did smell them! You warned us, and we were too stupid to pay you any attention! You didn't fail, any more than we did."

Grover did not seem totally convinced, but he declared he was going to go for a walk in the forest, sweeping away with a hand my advice that he should go rest. Apparently, he did not want to have a conversation with me.

Left alone, I looked for something to eat. Unfortunately, we had nothing but chips. After wolfing down the whole package, I tried to imagine a plan for arriving in the west.

The first option was hitch-hiking. But I did not care for that - It was long, and fastidious. What was more, drivers accepting three dirty and stinking kids were few and far between, and they ran a big risk.

We could get on a train without a ticket, avoiding the controller. Yet another bad idea. Being demigods (powerful, moreover), Percy and I attracted too much bad luck. We would be identified immediately, and the quest would fall in the water.

I started to despair (the only option left to us was crossing the country on foot...) when I heard a high-pitched barking.

Startled, I pulled out my dagger and turned toward the sound. I could not be more surprised - Grover quietly walked towards me, carrying in those arms a ball of pink hair that turned out to be the source of the barking.

"What is this?" I asked, putting away my knife.

 _Congratulations, Annabeth, a stupid question!_ I corrected myself, "Uh... I mean... Why did you bring us a dog?"

"Annabeth, meet Hortensia, a toy poodle."

A toy poodle. A pink toy poodle. I could very well see in his hideous black eyes that he hated me, that dog. I loved dogs but this one tended more towards a rodent that to a dog.

Grover, for his part, seemed very excited. "He is very nice, and he is offering us a route west!"

I started to worry about Grover's mental health.

"Grover, I know that you talk with animals... But a poodle can not buy three train tickets for us!"

"I know," he told me in the tone of someone speaking with a small child.

With that, I did not understand anything more than I had before! Grover brought us a dog, which reveals nothing about train tickets!

To crown it all, that evil mutt started growling.

"What's he doing?"

"He wants you to say hello to him," responded Grover, "quite naturally."

"Me to what?!" (and my pride, then?)

"You to say hello to him," Grover repeated. "Otherwise, he won't help us."

"How will he help us?"

This conversation was going nowhere...

"He escaped from his home and his masters offer a reward to anyone who brings him home, according to the posters. Hortensia agrees that we can bring him back for the cash money."

"Why go back to where he escaped from?"

"He hated his owners, but he feels like returning to them because he lost his slippers and he doesn't like this forest. So he wants to return to his house, to retread as soon as he gets there. And he said that since we need money and he wants to go back to his home, we could help each other out."

"Okay... And I need to say hi to it?"

"Him, but yes."

"Uh... Hello... dog."

"Grrrr..." said "dog".

"Sorry... Hello, Hortensia."

The poodle seemed satisfied.

When Percy woke up, he refused to greet the poodle which was inadmissible - I said hello to that cursed poodle, he was going to say hello to that cursed poodle.

Percy decided it was better to obey me.

We struck camp, and Hortensia guided us towards an expensive area. His masters were overcome with joy at seeing him, but we were wwatched with a bad eye before being given the promised reward - we quickly hurried off of the white marble floor into the sunlight outside.

Grover, Percy and I went back, overjoyed! We

Buying tickets (which would bring us to Denver), I felt my bruised pride - I had not succeeded at finding a plan, I had been beaten by a pink poodle... But I would catch up, I knew it.


	9. Chapter 9

**9\. The Monument of my Dreams Becomes my Nightmare**

"Annabeth, you don't have the right!"

"For the sixth time: this is not a waste, Percy. Anyway, _I_ lead this mission, so _I_ decide how to use the rest of the money!"

" _You_ lead the mission? News flash - it's _my_ quest! So _I_ decide! And you are not buying those books!"

"You're too stupid to lead a quest! So I take command! And I do what I want with the money we have left!"

We could have continued for a long time on that topic if Grover had not come back from the bathrooms. He watched us without understanding (I must say that when he left, we were in a very good mood...) and demanded explanations. I jumped on the opportunity.

"Goat boy! I am going to the bookstore to buy some architecture books so I can relax while traveling; you guys wait for me here."

"No!" Percy replied.

 _And it starts again..._

Grover refused to join in our fight, judging it "infantile". But ten minutes later, being - much - more intelligent than Seaweed Brain, I went out of the battle victorious. I used our meager savings in the library. Returning to Percy and Grover, the offspring of the Sea God was sulking. Too bad for him!

So as to not feel guilty, I had still kept a few pennies (in case of emergencies, of course) abandoning this wonderful book on the shelf for this. All three of us climbed into the train, and Grover fell asleep instantly, leaving me (to my biggest regret) alone with Percy, when the guilt (not for buying books, but for treating him as a fool) returned to the attack.

"Annabeth..."

"Percy, I am not going to excuse myself! I am within my rights and..."

"Annabeth!"

"...if I want some books, I buy some books and it is not for you to..."

"ANNABETH!"

The words died in my throat and I looked at Percy, who watched me with his beautiful green eyes.

"Annabeth, I am not angry with you. I was silly. You are perfectly within your rights to buy some books, especially since it's because of me that we are in this mess in the first place. Our money exploded because of me, we nearly got turned into statues by Medusa because of me... Everything is my fault. You have every right. And you lead this quest better than me, that's for sure."

I was speechless. I had not been waiting for any of that. Percy came out and excused himself while I had treated him like a mop. But he really was a good friend.

"Watch out, Seaweed Brain, or I'll start believing that you are trying to ruin our quest!"

I reassured him, because I knew he could not feel guilty for all our misfortunes and then the tension disappeared as it had come. We talked about everything and nothing until one of Grover's shoes fell off, revealing his hoof. After fixing it, we laughed like old friends.

A bit later, when the sun had disappeared from the horizon, Percy admitted to me he was dead tired and fell asleep almost instantly. While dozing (drooling, I must report) I observed him in detail. His beautiful black hair was all matted and I could distinguish dark purple under his eyes. He looked like a skateboarder and party animal. At school, he was always regarded by his teachers as dunce, his attention deficit not helping to break away from the image. Yet, he was not an idiot, far from it. From what I had seen in the past few days, he had developed a very logical mind, although he let it go instinctively without two second's thought.

"If you keep eating with your eyes, you won't be hungry anymore."

I jumped upon hearing the satyr, who looked at me with a funny smile. When did he get up? Blushing, I tried to ignore it. It was Percy - strange as it may seem – who came to my aid. Indeed, he murmured an almost incomprehensible sentence, along the lines of "I don't want to help you" in his sleep. I felt sorry for him - it was certainly one of those demigod dreams.

I stayed silent for a long time, lost in my thoughts (and superbly ignoring the satyr). I prepared to ask Grover for a confirmation of my hypotheses, but he was snoring (yet again).

All three of us fell asleep, and when I woke up in the morning, only Percy had woken up. I asked him for explanations of his dream, and of the mysterious phrase he had said. According to him, Hades haunted his sleep, but I could not believe it. I thought rather than something more malevolent resurged. The thought frightened me - something even more evil than the God of the dead... I did not want to meet him!

Percy turned quickly away from his primary worry, then he started to question me about my birth and my father.

"I suppose that you were not born in a hospital then?"

So I began to explain my "psychological" birth (praying he did not ask me if I had a belly button). I could not hide my bitterness talking about my step mother and my step brothers.

Surprising me just as much as the previous day, Percy tried to reassure me then asked for details on my how I got to Camp.

Almost despite myself, I plunged back to that time of uncertainty, that daily fear, and then the miracle embodied in a young blond man and a girl with a Gothic look. Luke. Thalia. My two real friends.

After an awkward silence, we continued to talk, and the train arrived at the station during the afternoon. Grover woke up, and I felt the excitement thrill me - we were going to visit the Jefferson Memorial Arch, also known as the Gateway Arch.

All while walking, I started to recite everything I knew about the arch, then when we arrived, I killed the time while we ascended. Claustrophobia due to my hyperactivity invaded me. But I had to visit the Arch. A small cabin was not going to stop me!

A funny woman with a chihuahua boarded with us,but we simply ignored her after the exchanging of a few swift phrases.

Arriving at the top, I took back my speech, thrilled to be in one of the most prestigious monuments in the United States. After half an hour, which to me seemed to last a second, the guide announced to us that the site was closing. We had to go back down.

Once in the elevator, I noticed that Percy did not come back any more. He insisted to go down on the next trip, left alone with the woman in Chihuahua, a family and the guide. My instinct told me to wait, but the cabin doors were closed.

Grover and I were at the bottom, waiting for the arrival of the elevator, when we heard an enormous explosion. Running, I went out and saw a huge hole at the top of the national monument.

No! Percy was in danger!

Despite all my supplications, the guide refused to let me go up, and he called the police. Dean from worry, I resigned myself to wait. I saw ambulances, firefighters, and police. But none of that could help Percy, so far from the water that made him so strong.

How could he be in danger in the arch? He was alone with the guide, the family, and that chihuahua lady...

Of course! The funny woman had become a monster! I wanted to blame Grover, who had not detected it, but my heart was not in it. Both of us were to preoccupied. Percy had no means of escape, and we were powerless to save him.

My quest ended here. But, bizarrely, that did not make me sad. For this was not my quest, but Pery's. He led the mission, despite all my affirmations otherwise. I sat down on the ground, with Grover.

I waited.

I hoped.


	10. Chapter 10

**10\. The Plunge of Death, the Fright of my Life**

I could not keep up. The Arch was smoking and showed a gaping hole. The emergency teams had just gotten down the family and the guide remained atop the Ark. No trace of the woman with the chihuahua ... or of Percy.

Nothing that had happened was his fault - neither the disappearance of the master bolt, nor hatred she had caused in Zeus, nor our mishaps common to demigods.

Despite that, I knew that he had not stopped feeling guilty for a second. And I knew that I had encouraged that feeling, in myself showing that nasty antipathy. And now, it was too late, for he had surely burned, like the wall of the monument. I had killed him!

"Don't worry, Annabeth. We will find him. He probably had to get off without being noticed, or else the police are just starting to search for him up top."

I did not respond to Grover. It was useless, since I knew he was just trying to reassure me... and reassure himself. We feared the worst, and for good reason.

"Grover, I was nothing! Percy did not deserve what happened to him! It is all my fault! And I treated him like a dog ... not even that, like a towel! I promise that if we find him, I will be nicer to him, I will listen to him, I won't insult him any more..."

"Perrr-cy!"

"...I will clean his room for him, I will help him do his chores... What?!"

I jumped, startled, and I turned myself around, following the satyr's gaze.

He was there, standing, smiling.

"We can't leave you alone for five minutes!" I cried out.

More than a complaint, it was pleading - I apologized for having abandoned him, for having shut him up in that minuscule carrier. I just hoped that he would understand.

Then my rational side took back the upper hand, and I asked him for specifics on exactly what had happened. I had strong suspicions that the woman with the chihuahua was up to something, and my doubts were confirmed when I learned that she had disappeared.

Far from cameras and journalists, Percy started his tale... He tried visibly to hide his achievements and minimize his courage, but we saw that even he himself had trouble believing that he had fought Echidna, the mother of Monsters – that was evidently the identity of the chihuahua lady - and that he had lived to tell the tale.

So he had protected the family and the guide, fighting with the Chimera, until he was touched by its venom. He had thus done something that would have proved fatal to everyone other than Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon : he had jumped from the top of the Arch, through the gaping hole, to finish at the bottom of the Mississippi.

"When I entered the river, I realized that I was dry. The water didn't make me get wet. And the impact did not squash me into a Percy pancake! I was alive! Furthermore, the water healed me, but that, you knew that already, Annabeth, no?" (I nodded) "And if I touched something, it dried too, it was cool! I took a hamburger wrapper, and it dried off, and a lighter lit it on fire! It was wicked! With a flame and all..."

"Percy!" I interrupted. "Continue your story, would you?"

"Uh... Yes, sorry. As I was saying, I was dry and I could breath underwater. I thanked my father for having saved me, and I met... a woman."

"A woman, what woman?" asked Grover, echoing my thoughts.

"A messenger, she said. Sent to tell me that my father wanted me to go to Santa Monica."

"Well then!" exclaimed Grover. "We need to go to Santa Monica. You can't ignore an order from your father."

"There is something else," said Percy. "That woman... gave me a piece of advice - be wary of gifts."

"What gifts?" the satyr asked.

Percy shrugged his shoulders, ignoring the answer as much as we were.

I should have made my brain work at full steam, to know everything that that meant, but I could not... I was relieved. Percy was safe (for the moment, at any rate).

We took off in the direction of the station, knowing that Percy would soon get noticed. Once on the train, Grover murmured to me, quiet enough for Seaweed Brain not to hear him. "Annabeth, I suppose you don't want me to talk to Percy about your pretty words and promises of a little while ago?"

"What words and promises, goat boy?"

Head resting on the cold glass of the train, watching the scenery pass before me, I could not help smiling. We were, despite our disputes, a dynamic trio.

* * *

 **The past several chapters, I haven't received any reviews! What's up with that? The french has 136 reviews, but I have 9. Tell you what ... If I get five reviews for this chapter, I will work really hard and get another chapter to you by Friday. Okay? So review! Please!**

 **I haven't said this in a while. I do not own PJO. I do not even have any claim on this plot - this is a translation. I go chapter by chapter and translate things to English, phrase by phrase or sentence by sentence.**

 **This is chapter ten. There is a grand total of 18 chapters, so you can look forward to eight more in this book. Carlotaaa2 (the original author) is currently working on the second book, and is actually also ten chapters in currently. I might go on and translate that one, too, if it is finished by the time this translation is. There will probably be a gap in between, though, of course.**


	11. Chapter 11

**11\. The Love of Risk in a Park**

Percy and Grover looked jealously at my sandwich which I had just gotten myself in the bar car. What gluttons! They had wasted all their money on chips, the filthy things.

"Don't even think about it!" I warned them, seeing their looks of lust. "This sandwich is mine!"

In front of their disgusted pout, I could not contain a burst of laughter, and I divided my sandwich into three pieces before giving them a share each. The rest of the trip was spent in a relaxed atmosphere, we had almost forgotten that we risked our lives at every moment ... almost.

Arriving at Denver, we had no money (all of a sudden, I regretted buying my books), we were famished and grimy. But while Grover and Percy thought only of their stomachs, I knew the most important thing was to keep moving forward to achieve the quest. I was just trying to ignore the voice - oddly resembling that of Percy - who shouted me that weakened by hunger, we could not get very far.

I did not know what to do. We looked like tramps. We could only beg for food and hitchhike to get to Los Angeles. For once, my 12 year old little girl instincts took over: I had to contact an adult - Chiron - who would suggest to me what to do! But, refusing to show myself weak before my companions, I gave the excuse to inform the Centaur of the maritime meeting Percy (which was very useful, of course!) and looked for a way to create a rainbow.

Thus we found ourselves in an empty car wash, using the last of our change and our last Drachma to call Camp.

"Camp Half Blood," I articulated in front of the Iris Message.

The scenery of Camp appeared. We saw the strawberry fields, we were on the porch of the Big House. It was home. Nostalgia invaded me.

My heart skipped a beat - facing us, his back to us, stood a boy I would have recognized anywhere.

Luke.

When he noticed Percy, he turned to face us.

I forgot to breath.

It was so beautiful, with his blond hair falling over his eyes like wheat, his muscular arms, his hand casually resting on the hilt of his sword. And his mouth, so delicate, saying my name...

What?!

My name?

"... Annabeth that I see there."

 _Go on, respond!_

"...okay, guys?"

"Uh... good," I managed to say.

Wow, major brain freeze! "Uh, good?" Really? Furthermore, I was dirty, I had not taken a shower in days, Luke was going to mention it... I took a big breath of air and then continued, "We were wondering..." (What had we already asked? Ah, yes!) "Is Chiron..."

Luke informed us the the Centaur was not there, and I started to hyperventilate a little bit. But what had happened to me, by Athena?

It was necessary for me to participate in the conversation... A deafening roar shook me out of my thoughts : a large car entered the spot next to us. I took the opportunity to slip away. My cowardice ashamed me.

I dragged Grover with me, for good measure. My adrenaline levels rose dangerously, I could feel it, and music breaking our eardrums did not help.

"Hey! You!" I called.

Seven youths got out of the car (made for five people, I noticed in passing) and stared at me.

"Whatcha got there, little girl?" the driver asked. "Did you lose your mom?"

The six cronies laughed at the bad joke. Apart from me (why so nervous?), I took out my dagger. "Not at all. I just want you guys o turn off the music."

The laughs stopped faced with my weapon and scowl, so unusual in a twelve year old girl.

"Leave," I said slowly, cruelly.

And, as easily as that, they all got back into the car (a horrible expression on all their faces) and they skedaddled without delay.

Eight teens fled before a little girl who was twelve.

Grover stared at me, agape.

"Annabeth, how, and why, did you do that?"

"I... I dunno. I suppose that they were as stupid as they were reckless, and personally I was..."

"All red! Because of Luke!"

"Be quiet, goat boy! You're in love with all the nymphs in the woods yourself!"

"Whatever!"

Laughing, we went back and found Percy. He had a bizarre expression on his face : a mixture of fear, uncertainty, and confusion. But he revealed to us nothing (not even on what he had said to Luke...)

We went out in search of some food, for our stomachs cried out loudly their absolute hunger. We set ourselves up in a cafe, where the waitress was staring at us suspiciously, for she believed – knew – that we had nothing with which to pay for our food. I tried to find a story, an excuse that would serve us here, but since my head was not working correctly from one moment to the next, I was going to fall apart (why on earth had I shared my sandwich?). All of the sudden, as horrible noise invaded the restaurant. For a moment I believed that it was once again April Fools, but in reality, there was a man on a huge motorcycle.

He came in, and all the mortals suddenly started ignoring him (though with his wrestlers mask, he was hard to miss). The only explanation I saw was that he was a god who had that effect. And I was right. The second he sat down at our booth (crashing against the wall while passing), I recognized him: he was the father of Clarisse, the god of war. Ares.

Percy ignored him, of course, and the aura of the god made him mad with rage, it showed. Fortunately, after a brief exchange, he understood who the biker was. Ares then undertook to explain that we needed to get his shield which he had lost in a tryst (surely with Aphrodite...) at Waterland. But there again, Percy showed his insolence, and refused the "mission".

Apparently, Ares knew Seaweed Brain's weak spot, since he talked to him about his mother. Percy had not officially agreed to help the god, but Ares seemed convinced, because he had left.

We could not refuse, not if we did not want yet another god against us. So, almost dragging Percy along behind us, we went to the famous water park where Ares had lost his shield.

Percy implied that Aphrodite was ugly (okay, not Aphrodite, but Ares' "little friend"). When he understood who she was, and that she was cheating on Hephaestus without it bothering anyone, he blushed. All confused like that, he was so cute! _Annabeth! Stop thinking such idiocies!_

After an escapade at climbing gates, I saw an "Waterland" gift shop. I felt like I was dreaming - clean clothes! Without waiting, I robbed the store, carrying out a backpack, a rubber ball (you never know, for those moments of complete uncertainty), a water gun, and two water bottles. In passing, I added yet a few more objects to my bag, encumbering myself – I knew it – uselessly. But for the first time in days, I put on all clean clothes.

We thus were directed toward the "tunnel of love", while I explained the basics of the mythology concerning the love triangle comprised of Aphrodite, Ares, and Hephaestus to Percy. Then we arrived. It was the most sinister place I had ever seen! An outlet pool, empty, with a boat in the middle of dozens of Cupid statues surrounding it.

Inspecting the statues, I noticed a marking - _η_ , eta, a Greek H. As for why it was there, I knew nothing at all.

During that time, Percy laid out a plan (risky to leave the opportunity to him, but good).

"Annabeth, you come with me..."

"You're kidding?"

I couldn't help myself. He had asked me – certainly, for a mission, but all the same – to go with him in the tunnel of love! He was sick!

"What's the problem?"

 _What's the problem?_ He had asked me what the problem was! But he was completely insane!

"You want me, me, to accompany you... on the "Boat Ride of Love"?"

Percy went completely red, and started to get down (with no help).

I had beenstupid. But at the same time, it had been his fault. He should have expected my reaction all the same, right? Luke, he wouldn't ask me to go with him on the boat ride of love. Thought if Luke had proposed that to me, I wouldn't have hesitated...

 _Annabeth! Concentrate!_

I thus followed Percy into the basin, empty of water. Once in the boat, I understood why they chose that particular location: everywhere there were mirrors. They could therefore admire themselves without problems, just as they wanted.

Percy took Aphrodite's scarf, and his expression became dreamy. That put me beside myself, without my knowing why.

"Oh no! Do not mess around with that love magic!"

"What?"

He had the air of someone who had just left a magnificent dream.

"Content yourself with taking the shield, Seaweed Brain, and let's get going."

But I should not have told him that: as soon as he touched the shield, I noticed the wire. Then my brain taking its maximum speed of thinking, another eta entered my field of vision.

"Wait," I said (knowing that it would be too late).

It was a trap. Suddenly, cupids started shooting arrows, weaving a net over our heads. Then cameras have emerged from the heads of the statues.

And dang! Hephaestus had set a trap for Ares and Aphrodite, and we entered it without taking precautions. However, I noticed the eta! Now we were being filmed, certainly broadcasted live on Olympus. If my mother saw me in the company of the son of Poseidon in the tunnel of love! By the gods!

A metallic noise pulled me out of my thoughts. Then I saw them. Hundreds, millions of them.

Metal spiders.

I screamed. I could not move. Percy just barely caught me, leaving me at the bottom of the boat, and fought off the spiders alone. I was sorry to be useless, but I could not help him repel these creatures, it was stronger than me. Those _things_ began spinning out wires to tie us. I heard Percy shout something at Grover, but my brain was frozen; I didn't understand anything. In a daze, I saw the water surging towards us, then I felt Percy tie my belt.

 _We are like two lovers in a boat_ , I thought, prior to receiving water everywhere. The water! The water had washed away the spiders! Just for that, Percy won my admiration.

I had the impression that he was controlling the boat (since otherwise, we would have crashed against the wall like the spiders – well done for them), that was sure to be a power of a son of Poseidon. I screamed, this tunnel well deserved its name, then we got out into open air. Problem: the gate was closed. We were going to smash ourselves against the gate.

"Take off your seat belt," Percy told me.

"Are you crazy?"

"Unless you want to get squashed. We are going to have to jump."

His idea was simple and crazy. But I understood. The force of the impact would propel us (but we were going to crash into the ground all the same, if we reached the basin).

"On my mark," said Percy.

"No! On my mark!"

I knew exactly when it was necessary to jump, because mentally evaluating friction, our speed, and our strength for jumping, it was simple to know what was the perfect moment. I found the equation of the perfect parabola.

I hesitated a long moment, then I cried, "Now!"

And damn! My parabola was too perfect, my propulsion too strong! Now, we had passed the pool, we would end up like pancakes on asphalt.

I felt something grab me from behind.

"Ow!"

Saved! Grover had caught us! Or almost... We crashed into a photo booth, with – certainly – a speed less then that we would have had if Grover had not helped us our, since we were too heavy for his winged shoes.

Percy turned off the Cupid statues (just saying "goodnight"!). He had a very disturbed air. I was familiar with it: Ares had set us a trap, because he had led us into the one that was intended for himself. Ares had definitely become someone Percy hated.

"But, Seaweed Brain, look on the bright side - we took our first shower in days!"

* * *

 **Well, that was what ... four reviews? And by Friday, I only had three. So you are getting an update now, not earlier. Please guys. Come on. If you favorite or follow it, there is absolutely no way you should leave without leaving a review. It doesn't have to be much, since anything you've got would definitely be appreciated. One word alone would be fine by me. Let's see. Today is Thursday. If I get 5 reviews by next Wednesday, I will post by next Thursday (a week from today).**

 **This is chapter eleven, and there will be eighteen chapters total.**

 **Review! Flames are encouraged!**


	12. Chapter 12

**12\. A demigod to Las Vegas**

 _We are dead._

That was what I thought facing the restaurant when Percy launched the shield at Ares, after simply having been insulted.

 _We are dead_

That was what I thought when the god of war transformed said shield into body armor then donned it with a deadly look plastered on his face.

Ares pointed out to us a truck ("International Heart: Humane Zoo Transport. Warning: live wild animals") that was going to be our method of transportation to the west, then offered us a backpack full of food, clothes, money, and clothes (clean, must I add).

 _We are dead._

That was what I thought when Percy pretended to refuse.

 _Saved!_

That was what I thought when Grover pronounced the saving words: "Thank you, mister Ares. Thank you very much."

Apparently, Goat boy had had the same thoughts as me: he had avoided all of us coming to a horrible death caused by the impertinence of a stupid kid (read: Percy).

After the god was gone, I started in on reprimanding Seaweed Brain for his idiocy - not only had he been risking _his_ life, but also _mine_ and Grover's, but the drivers of our "transportation" were coming, so I held my peace. We crossed the road at a run, then we hid ourselves in the back of the truck.

Once on the inside, the odor was atrocious. Breathing through my mouth and disturbed by the darkness, I called to Percy (who I was still mad with – for a change...), "Hey! Seaweed Brain! That tiny little brain of yours could have at least told you that your sword could be useful to us!"

"Oh yeah, Well of Wisdom?"

"Don't call me well of wisdom!"

" _Well of Wisdom_ , could you wise and cunning brain - especially cunning, by the by - tell me how my sword would be useful to me?"

"Do you know, _Seaweed Brain_ , that celestial bronze shines in the darkness? Or maybe had you forgotten that?"

Groaning low in his throat, Percy did not respond to me. Then, a few seconds later, the space lit up.

The image there made me instantly forget my anger at the son of Poseidon: around us, three animals in a piteous conditions were watching us. (all of a sudden, the odor made sense). There was a zebra, chewing gum stuck all throughout his mane; a lion, who had been served a meal of turnips; and a antelope, with balloons attached to one of his horns.

Grover was horrified, even sick. I knew that seeing animals in such bad conditions pained him (even more than seeing the forest trashed full of debris).

While the satyr seemed about ready to exit the truck and attack the drivers, the truck started.

"We have to let them go!" I said.

"While the truck is moving?" Percy remarked.

He was not wrong. For once, the brain of Poseidon was wiser than that of Athena (but I would die under torture before admitting it.)

I thus suggested to Percy that he use Riptide (who was turning out to be very useful in this truck, apparently) to correctly redistribute the food to the animals. Effectively, the zebra and the antelope had had the right to the meant, and the poor lion had been given turnips. While he was doing that, Grover and I took care of the antelope, completely tangles. The satyr was a big help, since he could communicate with the animals (a power of his own race), and I freed the horn from the multiple balloons that had been tangled up in it.

When everything was finished, we decided to go to sleep. Despite that, Percy stayed awake. I could not stop going replaying the events in the water park: I had left the son of Poseidon to cope with the spiders alone. Without his aquatic powers, we would be dead.

After justifying my lack of a desire to sleep, I set myself to munching on a biscuit taken out of Ares' bag, without even being hungry.

But I was in debt to Percy. Or at the very least, I owed him an apology. But, you must remember, I am not very good at doing those.

"Hey," I said. Percy raised his eyes, apparently not angry with me. I thus continued, "I'm sorry for panicking at the water park."

There, it was said. He swept my remorse away with a simple "It was nothing". Despite the fact that he always got on my nerves, I could not deny that he was a wonderful person, very _kind._

Then a thought crossed my mind : the Iris message. Luke had not really said anything to him or did Percy not want to admit anything to us?

I could not hold myself back any longer, and I asked him the question. And he admitted to me that Luke had talked about Thalia. In end, of the pine.

Grover was fully awake now (he had only been dozing). Percy had guessed our history: Thalia, Luke, and I had made it to the edge of Camp, and Thalia had conducted her last fight on that hill, before dying and being transform a tree by her father, the god of the skies.

I had to (for the thousandth time at least) reassure Grover, helped by Percy: he had nothing to do with the death of our friend. If he had followed Chiron's orders (i.e: only escort Thalia), Luke and I would be dead. After some long minutes of discussion, he abruptly fell asleep. (That facility always surprised me.)

But the story of Thalia stayed in my head. It was not Grover's fault, if the monsters sent by Hades had caught up to us. It wasn't his fault, nor Luke's, nor Thalia's.

It was my fault.

During our meeting with the cyclops, I had lost too much time helping my friends. I had lost precious minutes, believing I heard my friends, while I should have been able to distinguish their mannerisms, their expressions... I had killed my best friend.

"That bead with the pine, that's the one from your first summer?"

Mechanically, I had caught the bead between my fingers during my mental ramblings. I responded to Percy, "Yes. Every year in the month of August, the counselors choose the most important event of the summer and they paint it on that year's bead. I have Thalia's pine, a greek trireme on fire, a centaur in a ball gown – that was quite the summer, believe me..."

And yes, what a summer! Chiron had lost a bet and had had to behave like one of the Party Ponies for a week ... I was about to dive back into my memories when Percy spoke again.

"And the Harvard ring, is it your father's?"

"That's none of your..."

I interrupted myself. Why snub him each time while he stayed so nice to me? He had the right to know, after all.

"Yeah, it's his."

"You don't need to talk about it."

Even better! But almost despite myself, I started out recounting to him my story. How my father had driven me from his home, how my mother hated me royally, how my step-brothers feared me ... Ridding myself of this rancor did me good. Percy was a good audience. He listened, concentrated, did not interrupt me.

Then he proposed to me the most stupid idea I have ever heard: to go back to my father's house while still alive! And what then? The conversation, which had been going peacefully up to that point, and like a mutton head I put it to an abrupt end.

For a long moment, we stayed in silence. Me, I thought about Percy, yet again. For this boy surprised me quite a bit. At first, I had had the impression that I was dealing with a born fool. But every time we needed him, he ran to help. He behaves as if he is responsible for us. I understood that he would do it for Grover: they had been friends for a while, and their bond was very strong. But I did not understand why he helped me out anyway, to save me, when I was so rude to him. At the same time, I would not hesitate a second to run to his aid.

Why? It was necessary for me to think about this.

"So if the gods are fighting," Percy started, "are things going to align themselves the way they did at the time of the Trojan War? Is it going to be Athena versus Poseidon?"

"I do not know what mom is going to do. All I know, is that I'm going to fight at your side."

"Why?"

I had found my response. "because you are my friend, Seaweed Brian."

And I was sincere.

* * *

Without realizing it, I had fallen asleep. Grover woke me up: the truck was stopped, and he did not know what to do. In all logic, the drivers were going to peek an eye at the animals, at the very least to make sure that they were not dead... So, I asked the satyr to wake up Percy. After a good minute, the demigod emerged from what seemed to be a strange dream.

"Hide!" I ordered.

I knew that I was a bit egotistical: I put on my cap of invisibility, and the game was on! My companions had to struggle to get behind the food bags.

While the truck drivers opened the doors and came in, I told myself that it was absolutely necessary for something to happen, or they could find my friends

Since the two men did not have the air of great intelligence, an idea took hold in my mind...

Playing for keeps,I left the trailer skirting the man carefully (who had just poured water _on_ the lion instead of giving it to him to drink). Placing myself halfway between the back of the truck and the driver's door, I started tapping on the metal.

"What do you want, Eddie?"

"Maurice? What did you say?"

Won! I had managed to distract the two cave men since "Maurice" got out of the truck to scold his comrade.

I moved myself back towards my friends, then made myself visible again. I had learned that Percy could talk with the zebra (probably because it had been Poseidon who had created horsed – so, by extensions, equines). He began to polish the locks on all the cages while Grover placed the satyr's protection on our three traveling companions.

Next, we were fleeing, while the police stopped our two truckers (well done for them!)

* * *

We were in Las Vegas. Walking always straight ahead, then turning there where the roads were more attractive, I searched in vain for a way to reach Los Angeles. We were 400 km from our destination, but I found nothing.

All of the sudden, We found ourselves in a cul-de-sac, facing the Lotus Hotel and Casino. The entrance was letting out puffs of cold air, and a delicious perfume. To crown it all, a man came and proposed to us that we enter. A part of my brain wanted to refuse, but the other part quieted it.

Without waiting, we entered. The place was amazing: there were games everywhere, and of all sorts (from Pac-man to virtual realities, passing slides and a climbing wall). Throughout, we could see servers, distributing snacks to whet the mouth.

A man came to give us "our room key", and to tell us about numerous services. I could not believe them. All the same, in opening the door to the suite, I did not hesitate: I took for myself one of the three rooms, and I chose some clothes then took a very long and delicious shower. When I left, Grover was already ready. We opened two bags of chips, and turned on the TV. A few minutes later, Percy rejoined us.

"And now," I asked. "Are we going to go to bed?"

I did not really want to, but my conscience told me those words.

"We are going to play," Percy responded after exchanging a smile with Grover.

My conscience was thrown by the wayside.

"Okay, let's play!" I declared.

I played (and won) a giant Q&A game, then I solved a Rubix cube with 24 faces in record time. Next, I tested out a 3D game where one had to construct a city. It was enormous. I looked for Percy to show him, but he preferred the toboggans and the skis... Grover was no longer excited by my game, he had found _the_ perfect game for him: the game of hunters hunted by deer. I thus returned to my city, which was becoming more and more beautiful.

While I was building the library of the 11th district, which was brand new, Percy came to disturb me. I did not hear him: what was he thinking, trying to stp me from constructing the city's future?

But he insisted. Annoyed, I barked at him, "What's the matter?"

"We have to leave."

"Leave?"

Leave? But I was great; I was making my city. I did not want to leave. I directed my attention back toward my game yet another time, to which I wanted to add a natural park.

"What?" I demanded when Percy –him again- shook me again.

I pleaded with him to let me play a little bit more. Because what did it matter if people stayed here for years and years without even realizing it? We were great, in the Lotus Casino.

And there...

"Spiders. Big, hairy spiders."

Spiders?! Where? Over there, there was Percy... Percy who wanted us to leave.

Our quest!

"Oh, my gods!"

Percy did not know how much time we had stayed in the casino. _Too much time_ _,_ I thought. We had to leave.

Fortunately, we knew where to find Grover: in his virtual reality game. He reacted like I had: he did not want to leave. With Percy, avoiding the temptation to take up a new game worth staying the rest of our life in this place for, we dragged him outside.

The cold air of the afternoon was comforting. It cleared my mind the rest of the way.

Cold air? When we came into the casino, we were hot.

Percy turned pale, then ran to a news stand.

"Percy," I cried out. "Percy! What are you doing?"

"In that casino, years pass like minutes!"

Once he read the date on the newspaper, I saw two opposing sentiments cross his face in succession. First relief. Then despair.

As he did not respond any further to me, I took the newspaper into my own hands. And I understood.

It was June 20. The eve of the Summer Solstice. We had spent five days shut up in the casino.

We had left one day to go all the way to Los Angeles, descend into Hell, not die, and find the Master Bolt.

One day.

* * *

 **Sorry. I know I promised to update over a week ago, but things just kind of happened. From now on, updates will probably be coming in less frequently because I will also be working on translating another author's crossover between HTTYD and ROTG.**


	13. Chapter 13

**13\. A nap to unwind ... and stretch**

"We're dead."

"This is going to cause the third world war."

"At least Annabeth will be on my side, she told me that herself."

"But nature is going to get devastated!"

"The whole planet's gonna explode!"

The boys started again. Half an hour later after we had left the Lotus Casino, Percy and Grover could do nothing but repeat all the negatives of our quest and the disaster that the failure would cause. They got on my nerves, in the end, with their constant pessimism! I spent my time planning out our quest, and they did nothing. Useless species!

For my part, I was not the daughter of Athena by accident. I had to, and at last I _had_ , found a plan to bring us to the Underworld.

"With all the nuclear bombs, we're going to die."

"And lots of presidents are actually demigods..."

"They're going to destr..."

"Be quiet!" I cried.

My two companions looked at me with a funny expression, but finally controlled themselves.

"Here's the facts: we need to get to Los Angeles as fast as possible, since we needed to make a there and back trip to hell, recovering the bolt while there, in a day. But to arrive quickly at Los Angeles, since the next train isn't until tomorrow, and planes are forbidden to us, we are left with but one option..."

"Hitchhiking?"

"Don't interrupt me, Percy. No, hitchhiking will certainly not be fast enough, nor the bus. I thought rather..." Proud of my work, I waited a moment before following with " ...by taxi."

"By taxi?" Percy exclaimed. "That's not possible! From here all the way there, it's got to be at least four hours on the road! That would cost a fortune..."

"And we don't have enough money," Grover completed.

"Wrong," I cut in.

"But..."

"We have money."

I explained to them my discovery: everything we had taken from the Casino had disappeared. Everything except the Lotus credit card. The green card, according to the man, did not have a limit. It would pay for our trip.

I made my plan seem safer than it actually was, but I knew that it was our only option, our sole hope. It had to work.

And so we installed ourselves into a taxi, with a superior air.

Imperiously, I told the driver to take us to Los Angeles. He started out with skeptical air, but when he swiped my card, it slipped into the device and an "infinity" sign appeared on the screed.

"Where in Los Angeles... uh, Your Highness?"

"Your Highness"... I merited that title, didn't I? I had just avoided (temporarily) a third world war anyway! I dare Seaweed Brain to make fun of this epithet; he did not have the right.

* * *

During the trip, we talked a lot. Percy wanted to tell us a dream he had had before arriving in Las Vegas, in the trailer, but the casino had muddled his memory: he remembered a conversation between a monster/enemy and its servant, and he thought that the servant was someone familiar and the "enemy" was someone in a pit. Then, he had seen a throne room, full of skeletons and bones: it was surely that of Hades.

The monster had a nickname, but Percy did not remember it anymore. The two usual nicknames of Hades – the Silent One and the Rich One– did not seem to ring a bell to him. It probably was not Hades, then.

"There is something that does not fit," he said. "The throne room was not the essential part of the dream. And this voice from the pit ... I do not know. It did not give me the impression of being the voice of a god."

Not a god?

Oh... A pit, in the underworld. Tartarus. And in Tartarus, there was... Kronos. But, that could not be Kronos... No. The gods had chopped him into bits. It had to be Hades who stole the lightning, and something had not gone as planned and he had not received it. Now, he believed that Percy had recovered it.

I must of turned pale, because Percy suspected something. Despite it all, I could not let him in on my suspicions; they were too horrible.

To distract my traveling companions (and myself), I started to recite everything I knew about the entrance to the underworld, and I elaborated my plans for getting in then getting out without leaving behind our souls. But I had a pretty good idea that no one was really interested in the conversation.

* * *

At sunset, we finally arrived at Santa Monica, where Poseidon had asked his son to go. While I was wondering where to go, Percy entered the water, walking straight ahead, without giving any explanations. Without saying a single word. He seemed to be in a trance: he did not listen to us anymore, did not retreat, and continued to sink. At last, he submerged his head.

I wanted to help him, to save him. But what could I do? He was the son of the god of the sea. I was completely powerless, and I knew he had been drawn into the water to be entrusted with the message from his father.

Grover and I installed ourselves on the beach, and we waited. For a long time. A very long time.

Every time that one of us tried to carry on a conversation, we talked for a bit of time, keeping up the act. Then we were quiet. We waited.

While I was tracing circles in the sand with my finger, Grover moved.

"Annabeth! There! Ripples! That has to be him!"

Immediately, I looked. Evidently, a head full of black hair same out of the water.

"Percy!" I cried. "Percy! What happened? I was so scared! Idiot! That was such a long time since you left! You could have..."

"Died?" he responded, a smile pasted on his lips. "Me? In the ocean? But tell me, Annabeth, were you worried for me?"

Grr... I couldn't even get a little bit worried? When I wanted to strangle him (for a change), he told us about his underwater adventures: a neriead, the same as the one who had contacted after the fall from the Arch, had talked with him. She had brought him "a warning and a gift". As a gift, three while beads that would be useful in times of distress. And as a warning...

"She told me to be wary of Hades, for he will make us doubt our own judgement."

"The warning does not tell me anything," I declared, coldly. "But know that when you get given a gift, there is always a price to pay."

"It was free."

Ah! If only... But, I knew that the moment would come when it would be necessary to pay. If Percy did not want to understand and resign himself to it, too bad for him.

* * *

We searched for DOA recording studios, in vain. No one knew where that place could be found. During our research, we saw on the TV that Percy's stepfather, Gabe, was passing himself off as a victim and that Percy was regarded by the United States as a troubled runaway. The only consolation was that Ares was suspected of threatening us.

We were in a narrow alley when a voice said, "Hey, you."

Neither Grover nor I winced. But Percy stopped. Imbecile! We were surrounded by idiots. because of that doubly moron Seaweed Brain, we found ourselves running down that road – surely a dead end – to escape a band of junky thugs. Damn Percy! We did not really have any time to lose!

Fortunately, we found refuge in a store, rather drab, certainly, named "Crusty the Water Mattress King". Funny name. We hid behind the window. As we prepared to leave, after having seen the band that had pursued us pass, said Crusty introduced himself, and insisted on us visiting his shop.

Wary, I did not touch any of the beds that he showed us. Percy did not either. For a second, it seemed as if he had found a brain... Stolen from Grover, apparently: the latter threw himself onto a mattress.

"Hm, hm," Crusty said. "Almost, almost..."

Almost? Almost what?

And with that, he pushed me on a bed, and said _Ergo_. Immediately, ropes tied me to the bed, keeping me down by my wrists and ankles. To the side, I saw Grover had suffered the same fate.

And there, I cursed myself for losing my reason. : Crusty, the "almost" that he had murmured, and the ropes. Crusty the Stretcher Procrustes!

I was going to die, dismembered on this bed.

There remained to me the hope that Seaweed Brain would keep his brains a bit longer, and save us.

But that hope went up in smoke: he was having a discussion with the monster! He discussed while I was getting my limbs stretched. He did not care for us, he was going to save himself. Traitor! All my joints hurt, but I was not going to scream. Oh no, I would not give him that pleasure. No sir.

My surroundings became blurred. My conscience rambles. Almost despite myself, I thought of the regrets I would have in leaving right now. Already, my mother. I needed to show her the latest plans I had drawn up. Then, there was my father: it was necessary that I talk to him. I could not quit him like that, over an argument: if I survived, I would write to him. Percy was right. Percy... I needed to be nicer with him as well, he was worth more kindness than I was giving him.

Suddenly, I became aware of what was happening around me: I realized that Percy had fooled Procrustes. He had trapped him on one of his own mattresses and he was going to save us! What genius... Uh... He had had a bit of intelligence. I would have done better. Hmph!

After what seemed like an eternity, he freed me.

"You seem taller," he declared.

Forget what I said about the kindness. He did not merit it. Not a single crumb.

"Very funny. Next time, be faster," I said curtly.

Percy diverted his eyes, and pretended to be interested in the papers on the bulletin board. That's it! You coward who can not bear my eyes! Nobody can because I am the daughter of the goddess ...

"Come on," Percy said.

 _What?_

Oh no! It wasn't _me_ who had interested him in the bulletin board! He was really looking at it: there was a brochure for DOA Recording Studios, with an address and a map. Seaweed Brain had discovered how to get to the Underworld before me! I will catch up, I promise. Oh yes, I would save this quest from failure. I would save the world.


	14. Chapter 14

**14\. A Good Big** **Doggie**

Percy headed for the door, but Grover held himself back.

"Percy! Wait!" I shouted.

"What? We need to go! I need to save my- ... the bolt!"

Grover sent me a knowing look: since the beginning, we had known that Percy had only accepted this quest in the hope of saving his mother. Basically, he did not care about getting the lightning, and therefore the fate of the world.

"And how do you intend to go about that? We can't go there like that!" Grover pointed out to him.

"Goatboy's right," Percy. "Without a plan, we are lost. Be reasonable!"

"Ten minutes," he capitulated.

So we started thinking about our upcoming journey. We had decided that going down into the Underworld would not be too complicated. The difficulty would come afterwards, in entering the kingdom of the dead. For the defenses of Hades would be there.

"Cerberus!" I suddenly remembered. "We have to get passed Cerberus!"

I began to rummage around in my bag, full of objects from _Water_ _land_ , looking for something that could be useful to us. Nothing. _Nada._

"Cerberus is a dog, isn't he?" Percy said.

"If you forget that he has three heads, yes" responded Grover. "A dog. A giant vicious guard dog".

For the first time since he had arrived crying at Camp, I clearly saw the workings of his brain to their full capacity. Bizarrely, a smile appeared on Seaweed Brain's face. And he explained to us his plan.

According to him, all dogs liked playing games. He had remarked that they all played with sticks of wood (pfft, what a watcher...!) in the park. So Cerberus couldn't be an exception. It was for that reason that he had an idea: bring a stick to the Underworld dog, who surely needed to have fun after millennia spent watching ghosts. And that would be a diversion while we entered into the land of the dead.

Percy finished his explanation, brandishing Riptide and cutting a leg off of one of Crusty's beds. Showing us the piece of wood he made, he declared, "For a giant dog, a giant solution!"

The plan was crap. But, however my Athenian blood rebelled at that idea, it was the only one that we had found.

 _Worse yet_ , a small voice whispered to me, _that_ Seaweed Brain _found, not you. He was better than you. Again._

And so we found ourselves facing DOA Recording Studios, a piece of wood in hand, ready to be dead for a few hours.

"Good. You guys remember the plan," Percy said.

"The plan," Grover gasped. "I love the plan."

The plan. The one that consisted of playing "fetch" with a terrifying dog... I needed a plan B! I, a daughter of Athena, could not go into a quest without a backup plan!

"And if the plan doesn't work?" I asked.

"Don't be negative," Seaweed Brain told me.

That was too much for me. "We are entering the Land of the Dead but I have to not be negative."

What next?!

And then I saw Percy drop his eyes and bring out the pearls the Nereid had given him. And I understood. Percy was just as unsure of his plan as I was. He knew that there was a good chance that it would not work. That we would stay dead, in the Underworld, and that he would never recover his mother. Nor save the world from a third World War. But he resisted. He was strong, proud, so as to be a good commander of the quest. He had hope for success.

We had to support him. We had to earn the commander that he was being for this quest.

"You're right, we will get there. Everything will be fine."

As Grover did not respond, I gave him an elbow in his ribs, and he encouraged Percy as well.

Then we entered the premises.

We felt as if we were in a normal waiting room, but without feelings. Let me explain myself: the people waited, sitting or standing,but nobody seemed to be feeling or experiencing anything. Neither the feel that one feels before a appointment with the dentist, nor the anxiety that comes before a visit to the doctor, nor the boredom that accompanies waiting for the Mayor. Nothing. The people who were waiting were empty.

Empty and translucent, I suddenly realized. In this room, everything was grey or white, and the people were all transparent. We were surrounded by spirits. That gave me goosebumps.

The attendant, Charon, started by reprimanding Percy who had messed up his name. Then he asked us what we would do there. Obviously, Seaweed Brain looked around for me.

"We want to go to the Underworld," I said clearly.

And I did not say another word. Percy began to haggle with Charon, who agreed to omit the fact that we were living in exchange for stack of drachmas. Apparently, immortals were just as corruptible as mortals. Pitiful. And it was thus with several gold pieces - thanks Ares - that we loaded into an elevator, along with dead people who were rather transparent.

"What happens to the spirits waiting in the hall?" I wanted to know.

"Nothing," our guide responded.

"For how long?"

"Forever, or until I'm feeling generous."

That was so wrong! A hero, a good man, could stay here, waiting, for just as long as a murderer, a rapist, or a thief. The divine laws were incomprehensible. But above all I did not want to upset my interlocutor.

"Oh," I said in a small voice. "That's... fair."

Charon looked at me, seeming to know exactly what I had been thinking about.

"Who said that death was fair, young miss?"

Good point. Death is not fair. Neither death nor life.

"We will get out of here alive," said Percy.

And I envied him for having this hope that we would succeed in escaping. I had to admit it: Percy had the soul of a leader, of a chief. One day, he would lead an army, and all of the soldiers would follow him without thinking. Even me. I could feel it.

All of the sudden, the elevator where we had found ourselves converted itself into a barge, which sailed along instead of descending further. Charon had swapped his Italian suit in favor of a long black cape and his eyes were empty sockets. All the spirits had gotten "dressed up" for their judgment with long cloaks tat were grey and sad.

Our barge was sailing laboriously in polluted waters, full of strange waste, ranging from diplomas to dolls through trophies and dead fish.

"The Styx," I murmured. "It is so..."

Dirty. Ugly. Sad. Disheartening. Horrible. Those were the words that came to my mind.

"Polluted," said Charon. "For millions of years you humans have thrown in all that you have brought with you: your hopes, your dreams, your wishes that never came true."

After that explanation, I could only wish for one thing: that the next time I climbed onto this barge, when I died for real, I had nothing to throw into the Styx.

But I knew that being a daughter of Athena, and therefore having the fatal flaw of pride, I would always have dreams that were too big, too beautiful, too perfect to one day have the power to realize them. I knew that in dying, I would have to throw away much to many shattered dreams into this river .

CThat thought scared me. Because, why continue to live knowing that I was going to fail? It was enough that to follow these spirits, and I would die. I would go to the Fields of Asph... _Annabeth! Resist it!_

Without thinking about it, I grabbed Percy's hand. I had to cling to him, a living person, so as not to forget that I, too, was living. That I had much more left to live.

Then we docked. The spirits disembarked, and we followed them. The boat went back.

We arrived to face two doors: EZ DEATH and INTERVIEW ENTRANCE.

Grover and I had explained the rudiments of the "justice" system of the Underworld: the tribunal, directed by three personalities who judged the life of each person and decided if it merited an award (send him to Elysium), a punishment, or nothing special. This last option was the most common, because sadly, the majority of people contented themselves with a simple and lightly egotistical life, which gives no right to access Elysium. The dead went in that case to the Fields of Asphodel.

Continuing forward, we arrived at the end of the lines. And there stood our great obstacle: a big black dog with three heads: Cerberus.

The dog sniffed towards us, and Percy said what I was thinking: "He smells the living."

"But it does not matter," Grover said, hesitantly. "Because we have a plan."

The plan. Effectively. _The plan_.

Percy then pulled the end of a stick out of his backpack and started waving it around towards the colossus. "Hey, big guy! I bet they don't play with you very often, do they."

After the face that Grover made, Cerberus must have known a lot of expletives to describe Percy.

The dog concentrated itself on Percy. On Percy, not on the piece of wood that he had in his hand. And when Percy threw the stick of wood far away, Cerberus did not even dignify himself to look at the thrown object.

When Cerberus announced to us, through Grover's translations, our imminent death, my head set itself to thinking with all possible speed. In my bag... there was nothing. Except for the things from _Waterland_. A swimsuit, a toothbrush, a sweatshirt, a pair of sunglasses, a rubber ball... _Bingo! A ball!_

"Wait!" I shouted, rummaging around in my backpack.

I took out the ball and I showed it to the three-headed dog.

"You see the ball? Do you want the ball, Cerberus?"

I remembered myself, very small, at the training center, listening attentively. _It is important, especially in breeds like the doberman or the rottweiler, to mix training and play. Take the ball, so that the dog focuses its attention on it. Then pass the ball over the head of the dog, saying 'sit!' The dog must sit._

Obviously, I could not pass the ball over the head of the dog (in addition to him having three of them). But he had to be more intelligent than the other dogs (remember he has three heads, thus three brains), so I could change the rules a bit, right?

It was thus, with more assurance than I actually felt, that I ordered, "Sit!"

To my greatest astonishment - and relief - Cerberus stirred his hindquarters, and, sitting down, crushed a dozen spirits.

To compensate him (as he had advised us to do in our training courses), I sent the ball towards the snout of the middle one.

"Fetch!" I commanded.

With a whimper, Cerberus obeyed me. Picking up the now shredded ball, I ordered Percy and Grover, with the same authoritative voice I had used on Cerberus, to leave between the legs of Cerberus. The dog vomited, but did not flicnh. He was really intelligent! I was sure that with a bit of training, this dog could be exceptional.

When my friends arrived at the other side of the dog, I threw the ball. As soon as the three heads started fighting each other for the piece of red rubber, I felt my heart go out to him. Poor Cerberus! I could hear him crying! The poor thing... He had nobody else to play with him!

"How did you do that?" Percy asked me incredulously.

"Obedience school. When I was little, at my dad's, we had a doberman..."

Grover interrupted me because we needed to escape. But hearing Cerberus' complaints broke my heart. Everyone – even in the Underworld – had both need of and the right to a bit of attention. Everyone, without exception.

I would come back! I would come back to the Underworld to play with him, with a ball of infinite resistance (which I would have invented beforehand).

I promised it.

Only, I hoped that my promise would not end up in the Styx.

Those were my thoughts when the alarms on the metal detectors went off.


End file.
